The life of a family of five changed instantly after Lucía Godínez Martínez was struck by a stray bullet on Saturday, May 20 when she was cooking breakfast for her kids. She is still recovering at the hospital and her husband Jose Rodriguez is taking care of her. “She’s getting better little by little,” Rodriguez says in Spanish. “I wish it were a dream.”
Two others were shot midmorning outside of the family’s apartment on Garner Avenue in Salinas. A 20-year-old man who police have not named and 21-year-old Christian Jimenez were shot; Jimenez died from his injuries. Salinas Police say it seems both men were targeted, and that neither has gang ties. The bullet that struck Martínez in her apartment is believed to have been accidental.
Within six days of the triple shooting, police arrested two suspects: Abel Juan Perez, 25, and Ivan Jovani Barriga, 19. Perez was arrested at a home in Gonzales, and Barriga in a traffic stop. Both men have entered a plea of not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder.
Court documents filed by the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office allege Perez committed these crimes on behalf of a Norteño criminal street gang.
In February, Perez was charged with a felony count of obstructing and resisting an officer, and three misdemeanor charges: battery on an officer, resisting an officer and vandalism.
On April 6, a Monterey County Superior Court judge issued a two-year restraining order against Perez, forbidding him from coming within 100 yards of a woman who claimed he had been violent toward her, and granting her full care and control of their French bulldog, Princess.
That order also forbid Perez from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.
The other suspect, Barriga, has no documented history in Monterey County Superior Court.
Rodriguez says he hasn’t followed the case: “I’m focused on my wife’s recovery.”
Rodriguez and his wife are farm workers who pick strawberries; he stopped working to take care of her. Martínez is not expected to regain her ability to walk due to paralysis from her injuries. Their children, ages 5 to 17, are Juan, Jesus and Omar. As of press time, the family has raised $11,044 via a GoFundMe campaign (bit.ly/luciagodinez2023).
“The medical bills are piling up,” the GoFundMe page reads. “Her family is struggling to make ends meet, and they are desperate for any assistance they can get.”