2 arrested after Tippecanoe County shooting
Jan 12, 2025
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. — Two people were arrested after a shooting in Tippecanoe County on Saturday.
According to a press release, Indiana State Police were made aware of the shooting during a traffic stop a trooper conducted on County Road 550 East around 1:30 a.m. During the traffic stop, the driver of a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado told the trooper he and his truck has been shot at.
The driver, who was initially pulled over by police for traffic violation, told law enforcement the shooting happened before he first encountered the trooper.
Upon further investigation, the trooper who conducted the traffic stop found what appeared to be a bullet hole in the side of the Silverado. The trooper then gathered information on the shooting from the Silverado's driver.
Once he had spoken with the Silverado's driver, the trooper provided other law enforcement agencies in the area with a description of the suspects that allegedly shot the Silverado. Shortly after the trooper relayed his description of the suspects and their car, the Lafayette Police Department conducted a traffic stop with a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Per ISP, the Jeep matched the description of the suspect vehicle that the trooper had obtained during his conversation with the driver of the Silverado.
LPD subsequently conducted a traffic stop with the Jeep's occupants. During the stop, a K-9 unit was utilized.
A K-9 officer ultimately alerted police about the presence of drugs in the vehicle. Law enforcement then searched the car and found cocaine and the keys to a Chevrolet Cruze.
As their investigation continued, police learned the shooting happened near County Road 800 East and State Road 38. Investigators found a spent bullet casing and a Chevrolet Cruze upon searching the area.
ISP confirmed that its troopers believe the keys they found in the Jeep belong to the abandoned Cruze they located in the area of County Road 800 East and State Road 38.
Police eventually arrested two individuals for their alleged roles in the shooting. The arrestees — Daniel and Wendy Martinez — were both in the Jeep LPD pulled over during law enforcement's investigation of the shooting.
Daniel and Wendy Martinez, who are both 27 years old and from Lafayette, have been booked into the Tippecanoe County Jail. Daniel and Wendy Martinez have been charged with criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon and possession of cocaine, respectively.
Both of the charges the Martinezes face are Level 6 Felonies. The maximum penalty for such crimes in the Hoosier State is a 2.5-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $10,000.