Police: Accused shooter threatened to fire on Halloween party

ELKHART — Police say two shooting victims, one of whom was killed, were trying to stop the suspect from opening fire at a Halloween party.

Joshua Peter Martinez, 24, faces charges of murder and attempted murder following the Nov. 3 shooting outside a north Elkhart auto shop. Police say he opened fire while attending a Halloween party, killing one man and leaving another with multiple gunshot wounds.

He was booked in the Elkhart County Correctional Facility, where he is being held without bond while awaiting an initial court hearing set for Thursday.

According to court documents:

Elkhart police responded to a report of a shooting at 754 C.R. 3 at around 4:40 a.m. They found one victim, Romulo Jesus Reyes Osuna, in the parking lot suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Officers attempted life-saving measures, but Reyes Osuna succumbed to his injuries. An autopsy performed the next day preliminarily ruled the death a homicide.

Carlos Martinez was also found in the parking lot suffering from several bullet wounds and was transported to Elkhart General Hospital in critical condition. It was later learned that he had also been struck by the suspect vehicle as it fled.

The Elkhart County Homicide Unit was called in to investigate. Detectives questioned Carlos Martinez at the hospital, where he picked a man out of a photo lineup who was not Joshua P. Martinez.

The identified man was the registered owner of one of two vehicles that investigators believe arrived at the scene about an hour and a half before the shooting. Detectives had used security camera footage as well as video from a nearby license plate camera to identify a silver Hyundai Elantra and a black Honda Civic that arrived shortly after 3 a.m.

Homicide detectives interviewed that man later that afternoon. He said he was at a Halloween party and had arrived at the same time as two coworkers, including Joshua P. Martinez, who was driving the Civic.

In a later interview, Carlos Martinez described hearing someone say he was going to get a gun and shoot everyone while running to the Civic. Carlos Martinez said Reyes Osuna was running after the man and asked him to come help.

Carlos Martinez said he could hear Reyes Osuna telling the suspect to calm down as he reached the car. He said the suspect had a gun in his hand and Reyes Osuna tried to push the car door closed to keep him inside, according to police.

Carlos Martinez said he remembered being shot and then run over by the car.

Police say security cameras captured the moment the two victims were shot. They could be seen following a man, who was later identified as Joshua P. Martinez based on height and appearance, as he ran to the Civic before multiple muzzle flashes are seen.

Carlos Martinez fell to the ground after the first shot and Reyes Osuna was shot while trying to run away, according to police. The shooter could be seen getting in the car and driving away, running over Carlos Martinez several times in the process.

Police gathered evidence from the scene including black paint transfer on a parked truck and a black plastic piece from a side mirror cap, which had "Honda" stamped inside. They also found several 9mm shell casings.

Plymouth Police obtained Joshua P. Martinez's address, where homicide detectives found a black Honda Civic that was missing a side mirror cap. It also had what appeared to be blood in multiple spots on the front and a scuff mark on the bumper.

Police say cellphone location data also placed Joshua P. Martinez at the scene of the shooting. He was arrested on Thursday.