Nathan Griggs, a 25-year-old man from Lubbock, Texas, was fatally shot on April 7, 2025, at an apartment complex in South Lubbock. Officers responded to reports of gunfire at approximately 10:43 p.m. Upon arrival, they discovered Griggs inside the apartment with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities launched an investigation into the incident, which led to the identification of 22-year-old Ethan Flores as the primary suspect.
According to police reports, Flores
arrived at the apartment and began searching for Griggs, who had hidden in a closet. Flores ultimately found him and fired multiple shots, killing him. Following the shooting, Flores allegedly forced his girlfriend and her 10-month-old child to leave with him. Law enforcement initially suspected a kidnapping had occurred, but later reports indicated that no statements supported this claim.
Flores fled the scene in a vehicle, prompting a multi-county police pursuit. A Crosby County deputy spotted his vehicle in Ralls, but Flores refused to stop, leading officers on a chase through Dickens, Kent, and Garza counties. The pursuit ended when Flores crashed his vehicle in Post, Texas, at approximately 1:20 a.m. on April 8. He then attempted to flee on foot but was located and arrested with the assistance of a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter. The woman and child were found inside the vehicle; the woman was transported to a hospital for evaluation, while the child was released to a family member.
Flores was taken into custody and booked into the Garza County Jail. He was charged with multiple offenses, including murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, evading arrest in a vehicle, evading arrest on foot, and abandoning/endangering a child. His bond was set at $500,000. Authorities described Flores as a dangerous individual with a lengthy criminal history dating back to 2017. The investigation into the case remains ongoing.
