On Thursday night, Lubbock Police responded to a report of a gunshot victim at the Villa Town Motel at 38th and Avenue Q. The victim, Carlos Olguin, 33, is still being treated at UMC.
The shooter, Benito Rojas, 37, was later arrested for aggravated assault.
The victim and the suspect were both at a social gathering in the motel, and later became involved in an altercation.
The victim got in his vehicle and attempted to leave when the suspect shot at the victim from the balcony, striking him in the abdomen. The victim drove away and stopped at 38th Street and Ave Q, where he managed to call 911. While at UMC investigating, the suspect also came in seeking treatment for injuries he suffered during the altercation. Rojas was treated by UMC staff and then arrested.
Olguin’s family contacted the station Friday afternoon, saying that at the time a bullet was still lodged in his abdomen and that he would be undergoing surgery later in the day. They say he is “stable,” but that recovery will be a lengthy process.
L.P.D. says that the call made to the incident Thursday night was the 122nd call made to that area since the begining of the 2016 year. Lt. Ray Mendoza, the Public Information Officer for L.P.D., says that that high of a call volume to areas like this greatly impacts the people who live there and nearby businesses.
“You know, things are going to happen. Thefts are going to happen, vehicle burglaries are going to happen, but you don’t want the police there this many times and getting this kind of reputation. It can hurt their business,” said Mendoza.
Tawny Taylor, who owns an auto business just down the road from the motel says that while the report of the shooting was unsettling, she was not surprised to hear about it. She and other nearby businesses say that the motel is no stranger to crime, and that they believe it has now become a hub for violence, drug dealing and prostitution.
“Of course it’s affected our business, we can’t leave cars on our lot at night. We’re an automotive shop, and we can’t leave cars out here. We get tires stolen, bumpers stolen, things that you would never think people would steal, they take,” said Taylor.
Taylor also says that while crime near the motel and in the Central Lubbock area have worsened, she wouldn’t want to move her business anywhere else.
“It’s scary. People don’t think to come over here because it’s the ‘bad part’ of town. However, we enjoy being over here. We have a lot of regular customers that say they love it here and this is home, this side of town. It’s not bad over here, but the Villas is probably one of the worst places in town.”
She says that she has seen residents/guests from the Villa Town Motel vandalize, steal from, and even damage property at her business. Her advice for other nearby businesses is to try their best to simply keep aware of their surroundings through the use of security systems and surveillance cameras, but most importantly, she wants to advise her fellow nearby businesses to not leave this part of the community behind.
“Don’t up and leave this community because there are people over here that need us,” said Taylor. “Some of them they can’t go to the other side of town and get a car repair. They can’t go to the other side of town and rent a home. They need us over here, don’t up and leave, but protect yourself. Just watch yourself and the business.”
When everythinglubbock.com contacted the motel on Friday, the manager was unavailable to give a statement on the incident from Thursday night.