According to a Cartersville police incident report, as well as a news release from Captain J.F. Cline, the victim, Jose Magdaleno Cruz, was involved in a verbal and physical altercation with Hector Sanchez at 112 Mary St. at approximately 1:48 a.m. After initially leaving the residence, Cruz returned a short time later, proceeding to bang on the door several times. From inside the residence, a firearm was discharged through the front door and window, striking Cruz. An exact amount of times the victim was hit is unknown.
Cruz fled the scene on foot in the direction of Summit Street where his sister resides. The woman stated that her brother had arrived at her house from a then undetermined location, bleeding from his head and face. He then left the residence and returned to apartment B at the Mary Street address, followed by his sibling. While the woman waited at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the apartment, she later claimed to have heard three gunshots and witness her brother being shot in the back. As Cruz ran from the area, his sister again followed him back to her home where she called 911.
A witness stated that he heard two gunshots and saw the Hispanic male later identified as Cruz running in the direction of Summit Street. The man stated that he then saw a second Hispanic male with a "big gun in his hand" who was yelling in Spanish. While Cruz was seen running in one direction, another Hispanic male was running down Courrant Street towards Martin Luther King Drive. According to the witness's statement, this third man continued to fire his gun while running. None of the suspects were able to be identified by the witness due to limited light.
Upon the arrival of EMS units, it was determined that Cruz appeared to have been shot once in the middle of the back, once in the lower right area of the back and once in the chest under his right arm. Cruz was also bleeding from the mouth and a large knot above his eye was observed and this area was also bleeding. Due to the extent of his injuries, Cruz was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital via life-flight where he underwent surgery and was later moved to recovery.
Suspects in the incident, according to Captain Cline's release, are Carlos Mauricio, 17, of 117 Summit St., Jose Alberto Sanchez-Medrano, of 112 Mary St., and Hector Arellano Fernandez, 18, of 112 Mary St. Mauricio and Sanchez-Medrano have been charged with party to the crime of aggravated assault and Fernandez has been charged with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and possession of a firearm with altered serial number. The release does not confirm that these suspects were in fact the same men mentioned in the witness statement included in the officer's report.