Man faces judge in case of quadruple shooting at Wilson County Fairgrounds
A US marshal confirmed to WRAL News that Braulio Fuentes-Martinez turned himself in to Wilson police on Wednesday morning.
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Braulio Fuentes-Martinez turned himself in to Wilson police on Wednesday. The 18-year-old appeared in Wilson County court on Thursday and is being held on a $1 million bond.
According to the Wilson County Police Department, around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, Fuentes-Martinez came to a quinceañera at the fairgrounds on Highway 301 uninvited. When guests asked him to leave, police said he went back to his car, grabbed a gun and fired into a crowd of people, injuring four of them. Two of those shot were minors.
"The family is quite devastated," said attorney Eliot Smith. "He’s been a good student, a nice person, by all accounts of family and friends."
Smith said Fuentes-Martinez's family was threatened several times since Sunday and that was partly the reason he turned himself in.
Smith said Fuentes-Martinez has a strong defense and intends to file a bond motion at some point. His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 20.
Fuentes-Martinez was charged with four counts of attempted first-degree murder, four counts of assault with deadly weapon with intent to kill and one count of possessing a stolen weapon.
After the shooting, Fuentes-Martinez attempted to escape in his vehicle and hit another person before hitting three cars and disabling his vehicle.
Fuentes-Martinez ran from the scene on foot.
"All the cars started speeding through, leaving the party," said witness Marlene Castaneda. "I just remember the car just hitting the car I was standing behind. And from there my mind just went blank, I don't know what happened. I was just told by my friend, run!"
"What he did was unbelievable," Castaneda said. "He did cause a lot of pain to a lot of families."
All four people who were shot have been released from the hospital.
The Nash County Sheriff's Office said Southern Nash High School, where Fuentes-Martinez is a senior, was placed under a soft lockdown Monday as a precaution. The soft lockdown officially lifted at 7 a.m. Tuesday.
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