In the early hours of May 15, 2014, the city of Norwalk, Connecticut, was rocked by its first homicide in 17 months. Jimmy Martinez, a 43-year-old Hispanic male known to his friends as "Flaco," was found lifeless on the pavement near the intersection of Isaac and Leonard streets. A passerby discovered him at 2:16 a.m., bleeding profusely from what would later be determined to be multiple gunshot wounds.
When police arrived, they found Martinez unresponsive, and he was pronounced deceased at the scene. A resident in the area later reported hearing several gunshots prior to the police's arrival.
The news of Martinez's violent death sent shockwaves through the community, where he was known as a popular cook and a family man, leaving behind a wife and four children. Friends and family expressed their grief and disbelief on social media, remembering a man not known for violence. The Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner officially ruled his death a homicide. Norwalk police detectives immediately began an intensive investigation, canvassing the neighborhood and pursuing several leads.
Within weeks, the investigation zeroed in on a suspect: Vamond Elmore, a 37-year-old with a lengthy and violent criminal history. Known by the street name "Wooley King," Elmore had past convictions for robbery and federal weapons charges. Norwalk police secured a warrant for his arrest in connection with Martinez's murder, and a statewide search was initiated. Elmore was also wanted by federal marshals for violating the terms of his supervised release.
The manhunt for Elmore came to a dramatic and fatal conclusion on July 22, 2014, in St. George, South Carolina. U.S. Marshals, assisted by local law enforcement, tracked him to a room at the Southern Inn II. As officers closed in, Elmore exited the room with a pistol in his hand. He reportedly turned and pointed the weapon toward the law enforcement agents, who then opened fire. Elmore was struck and later pronounced dead at a hospital in Charleston, bringing a violent end to the search for the man wanted in the death of Jimmy Martinez.
