Hall County authorities have arrested a suspect believed to be responsible for an early morning shooting on Tuesday that left three victims with non-life threatening injuries.
Hall County Sheriff's Office spokesman Derreck Booth says Jonathan H. Vazquez-Rivera, 32, was arrested without incident at a residence off of North Cliff Colony Drive. He was taken into custody around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.
Vazquez-Rivera in facing a charge of aggravated assault in the incident, although Booth said that more charges are possible as the investigation is still ongoing.
The shooting happened around 2:30 a.m. at a house in the 1000 block of Martin Drive near East Ridge Road. Both Hall County deputies and officers with the Gainesville Police Department responded to the scene.
"According to the initial investigation on the scene, a male suspect drove to the residence. One of the victims answered the door and that's when the male shooter opened fire, hitting the individual who answered the door and two others who we believe were inside the home," Booth said.
At that point, Vazquez-Rivera left the scene.
"Deputies and officers searched the area during the overnight but were unable to locate the shooter," Booth said.
Several hours into the investigation, Vazquez-Rivera was identified as the primary suspect by Sheriff’s Office investigators, and a warrant was obtained for his arrest.
"Gainesville Police Officers later located Vazquez-Rivera’s vehicle at Park Hill Apartments off of U.S. 129/Park Hill Drive near his residence," Booth said. "Sheriff’s Office investigators followed leads in the case throughout the day, culminating with the arrest."
At this point, it appears the shooting was a domestic-related incident.
Booth did not identify those who were shot. He said all three men were taken to the hospital for treatment. Two of them suffered gunshot wounds to their legs, while the third was shot in the head.
All three victims were said to have suffered non-life threatening injuries.
After Vazquez-Rivera was taken into custody, Booth said two victims had already been released from Northeast Georgia Medical Center following treatment, while a third remained hospitalized.
