Robert Leroy "Smokey" Martinez, the suspect in a Sept. 7 shooting near Starr Hill Music Hall, was apprehended in New Jersey early Saturday morning, according to Charlottesville Police.
Eyewitnesses at the scene had identified 26-year-old Martinez as the gunman who allegedly killed 27-year-old Charlottesville resident Margues Lamont Carter in a parking lot at the 700 block of West Main Street.
At 5:45 a.m. on Sept. 21, a team of U.S. Marshalls, FBI and Fugitive Apprehension Taskforce officials arrested Martinez at an apartment in Elizabeth, N.J.
The suspect was taken "without incident," New Jersey State Police Lt. Al Della Fave said.
Martinez currently is being held in Essex County Jail in N.J., pending an extradition hearing.
"He should be back in our custody by the end of this week," Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo said, predicting the suspect would waive his right to contest extradition.
A spokesperson for Martinez could not be reached for comment.
If extradited and returned to Charlottesville, the suspect will be arraigned and charged with murder, two counts of malicious wounding, three counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to Charlottesville Police.
"This is yet another example of senseless killing that need not have taken place," Longo said.
Stray bullets at the scene also struck a 22-year-old Charlottesville woman in the leg and a 24-year-old Fluvanna man in the buttocks. Their names are not being released by police.
Longo would not disclose specifics of the investigation or what led investigators to search for Martinez in the Elizabeth, N.J. area.
Della Fave attributed the lead to an anonymous source.
According to Longo, a murder weapon has not been recovered and the relationship between the shooter and the victim is not clear, although there is an "understanding" they knew each other.
At 2:20 a.m. on Sept. 7, when Charlottesville Police arrived on the scene near Starr Hill Music Hall, Longo said they attempted to resuscitate Carter, who later died from his wounds at the University Medical Center.
City police obtained a warrant several hours after the shooting and worked to ascertain Martinez's whereabouts for two weeks.
After the FBI and U.S. Marshalls joined the case, a total of seven arrest warrants were issued for Martinez, who has a prior drug felony conviction.
Charlottesville Police Lt. J.W. Gibson said officers are "still working" on building up their case and described eyewitnesses as "reasonably reluctant."
"I certainly think the community is at ease," Longo said. "There was a sense of concern that the suspect was still at-large in our area."
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