Police Name Two Killed in Lilburn Car Shooting, Detail Violent Night Across Gwinnett

Gwinnett County police have named the two people found shot to death inside a car in Lilburn late last week, and have released new information on a series of violent incidents that ended with a 54-year-old man's arrest in Tennessee.

The victims were identified as Jesua Valesca Garcia Perez, 17, and Javier Hernandez Martinez, 28. Both lived in Norcross. Their bodies were found Friday night in a vehicle near Harbins Road and Harbins Point Lane.

The suspect, Javier Aragon Ruiz, was taken into custody in Robertson County, Tennessee, following a search that crossed state lines. The Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Metro Nashville Police Aviation Unit and the Robertson County Sheriff's Office all took part.

According to detectives, Aragon Ruiz was in the car with Garcia Perez and Hernandez Martinez when an argument escalated. Investigators say he opened fire and killed both of them.

Police say he then went on foot to a residence on Windscape Village Lane, where he tried to shoot a woman named Soamia Garcia Perez. The weapon malfunctioned, according to investigators.

Shortly afterward, police say, he attacked another person, Jace Corley, with a knife. Corley suffered a neck wound that is considered potentially life-threatening. Aragon Ruiz left the scene before officers arrived, setting off an urgent manhunt.

Officers had first been sent to the Windscape Village Lane address at about 10 p.m. Friday after a report that a person had been shot. While they were there, they learned that two people had been found dead in Lilburn.

Detectives processed both crime scenes and interviewed witnesses, and they quickly concluded that the two incidents were linked. Police describe Aragon Ruiz as an associate of all four victims. The motive is still under investigation.

Aragon Ruiz remains in custody in Tennessee while he awaits extradition. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Gwinnett County police or Crime Stoppers, where anonymous tipsters may be eligible for a reward.