WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — An incident where a 14-year-old boy was shot in the leg led to to a second shooting and a crash in Winston-Salem Wednesday. Police said the suspects shot from a moving vehicle.
The Winston-Salem Police Department said officers responded to Timlic Avenue in reference to the shooting. Officers said the teen was standing outside when he was shot and was later taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Evidence gathered at the scene indicated that at least two guns were fired multiple times and that the likely motivation for the crime was gang activity, according to police. Police said following the shooting, an associate of the victim got into a car with others and left the Timlic Avenue area. That associate has been identified, however, for investigative reasons that information is being temporarily withheld, police said.
As the car leaving from Timlic Avenue traveled onto U.S. Highway 52, near the exit ramp to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the suspect vehicle from the earlier shooting began to follow the car and multiple shots were reportedly fired towards it. Police said this reportedly caused the driver of the car to lose control and crash, the people in the car left the crashed car on foot according to authorities.
Investigators were able to identify 22-year-old Jassy Salinas Vargas as a suspect in the shooting and obtained a warrant for arrest charging him with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Police said the charge stems, in part, from the fact that Vargas is on “Supervised Release” after having been convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter in the 2018 shooting death of Jovannie Gonzalez-Martinez.
After obtaining a warrant for his arrest, investigators found Vargas entering into a vehicle at his apartment on Baux Mountain Road in Germanton, NC. Authorities attempted a vehicle stop which resulted in a pursuit that ended after Vargas wrecked.
Vargas was taken into custody following the pursuit and was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, discharging a firearm in the city limits, and felony fleeing to elude arrest. Authorities executed a search warrant for the apartment on Baux Mountain Road, which resulted in 204 grams of marijuana and drug paraphernalia being found. Consequently, Vargas was also charged with Possession with Intent to Sell & Deliver Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Vargas received a $75,000 secured bond. Authorities anticipate additional criminal charges as the investigation evolves.
After further investigation into the case, a second search warrant was also executed at 444 Sherbrooke Drive in Winston-Salem, NC. Upon execution of the search warrant, authorities seized two firearms which included a stolen 9mm semi-automatic handgun and a 45 caliber semi-automatic handgun. As a result of the investigation on Sherbrooke Drive, three people were arrested which are listed below:
1. Antonio Joel Morales (W/M) was charged with Possession of Firearm by Felon and Possession of Stolen Firearm. Due to being out on bond for a prior firearms related offense, Antonio Morales received no bond allowed.
2. Crussito Francisco Morales (W/M) was charged with Possession of Stolen Firearm. Due to also being out on bond for a prior firearms related offense, Crussito Morales also received no bond allowed.
3. The third person arrested is a juvenile and therefore no additional information will be released. As a result of the investigation, the juvenile was served with a secure custody order issued by Juvenile Justice and remanded to their custody.
No additional information will be released at this time as the investigation is ongoing. The Winston-Salem Police Department requests that anyone with information regarding this crime contact Crime Stoppers at 336-727-2800.
