Suspect in the Wagner Park shooting is found in Levelland

On Monday, two males got in an altercation at Wagner Park in Tech Terrace, resulting in the shooting and death of 23-year-old Jose Luis Gomez.

Tiffany Pelt, public information officer of the Lubbock Police Department, said that around 6:20 p.m., the LPD received multiple calls that shots were fired in Wagner Park, the area of 26th Street and Flint Avenue.

Pelt said when officers arrived, there was a large crowd gathered on the north side of the park. She said a female in scrubs was giving Gomez CPR. Pelt said EMS took Gomez to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased just before 7 p.m.

“This is not really something that happens in the Tech Terrace area,” Pelt said.

Maddy McCarty lives on the corner of the park at 26th and Elgin Avenue. McCarty said she was watching television when she heard what sounded like two firecrackers.

When she walked outside, McCarty said she saw a man lying in the grass before others moved him to the sidewalk and tried to resuscitate him.

As a resident of Tech Terrace for 20 years, McCarty said she had not been worried of such a crime occurring in her neighborhood, until now.

“I would like people to not bring violent to the neighborhood,” McCarty said. “It’s always been a good place to live.”

The LPD police report states that Gomez and the suspect were pushing one another, when the suspect pulled out a gun and fired at Gomez. It explains that the suspect attempted to take Gomez’s backpack, but Gomez held onto it until the suspect shot again.

The description reports Gomez let go of the backpack, and the suspect headed southwest on foot across the park with Gomez’s backpack.

According to a news release sent by Pelt on Monday around 9:40 p.m., investigators were still in search for the suspect. The release asked for any information to be directed to the LPD or Crime Line at (806) 741-1000, where callers can remain anonymous.

The suspect, Stephen Joseph Buckley Jr., was identified on a wanted poster released by the LPD on Tuesday around 1:40 p.m.

The poster described 29-year-old Buckley as a white male, 6 feet 1 inch tall, with brown hair and hazel eyes. The report stated the suspect as armed and dangerous.

According to LPD, officers took Buckley into custody at approximately 3:40 p.m. in Levelland, Texas.

Photo from: http://www.dailytoreador.com/news/lpd-names-suspect-in-wagner-parking-shooting/article_aaab4a4a-666b-11e7-a86d-1f1ba806e86b.html