Adam Hernandez, a 36-year-old Hispanic man, was shot and killed in Lubbock, Texas, on the night of Saturday, February 15, 2025. Police responded to a call about a fight in progress around 11:20 p.m. and soon found Mr. Hernandez inside a vehicle in the 1000 block of North Avenue Q Drive. He had suffered a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation revealed that the violence began with a verbal argument inside a business in the 1200 block of Jarvis Street. Mr.
Hernandez and his companion, 37-year-old Larry Moreno, were involved in the dispute with several other people. The conflict moved outside and escalated into multiple physical altercations. At some point during the fighting, Mr. Hernandez and Mr. Moreno got into an SUV and began to drive through the parking lot. When the vehicle stopped, one or more suspects opened fire, striking both men.
Mr. Moreno, who was driving, was seriously injured but managed to drive a short distance before stopping in front of another business on North Avenue Q Drive, where officers found them. He was transported by ambulance to University Medical Center with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The Lubbock Metropolitan Special Crimes Unit assumed control of the homicide investigation.
Authorities later arrested two people in connection with the shooting. Joe Angel Martinez, 20, was taken into custody and charged with murder. A 12-year-old juvenile was also arrested and booked into the Lubbock County Juvenile Justice Center on charges of Theft of a Firearm, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon.
In March 2025, a grand jury indicted Joe Martinez on charges of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. More than a year later, in September 2026, a grand jury indicted him again, adding a second murder charge. As of that month, Martinez remained in the Lubbock County Detention Center while his case proceeded. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Crime Line at 806-741-1000.
