Montgomery County Police have arrested multiple people for the shooting deaths of two Northwest High School students, 17-year-old Shadi Adi Najjar and 18-year-old Artem S. Ziberov.
The teens were shot in Montgomery Village the night before their high school graduation on June 5.
Three men were arrested in connection to the case: 25-year-old Jose Ovilson Canales-Yanez, 19-year-old Roger Garcia and 24-year-old Edgar Garcia-Gaona.
All three were charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
Photos L-R: Edgar Garcia-Gaona, age 24; Roger Garcia, age 19, Jose Ovilson Canales-Yanez, age 25. Arrested today for 6/5 double homicide. pic.twitter.com/3LX5czyOPx
— Montgomery Co Police (@mcpnews) June 18, 2017
"What a relief," said Adi Najjar, the father of one of the boys. "Who would do that to two beautiful young boys?"
The killing of Najjar is believed to be an act of revenge. Sometime ago, he allegedly stole an iPad from a woman. That woman is possibly married to one of the suspects.
Police believe that the three suspects used the offer to sell graduation tickets to lure the two victims to the scene, where they fired 30 rounds, hitting Najjar four times and Ziberov 10 times.
Police do not know whether or not Ziberov was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Grief is done," Najjar said. "It's anger now. I hope for justice for the killers."
Police thanked the public for coming forward with useful information to the investigation. They urged others to come forward as well.
This timeline of events leads up to the suspects' arrest:
December, 2016: A friend of Najjar told police Najjar allegedly stole drugs from a woman named Cara Yanez during a drug deal.
December 14, 2016: Police said Cara Yanez filed a police report stating a passenger in a Blue Honda Civic - remember this car - stole her iPad and dragged her 50 feet.
June 5, 2017 about 10:15 p.m.: Najjar tells a friend he's selling a graduation ticket to a person named Roger Garcia.
June 5, 2017 around 10:45 p.m.: Police are called to cul-de-sac in Montgomery Village. They find Najjar and Artem Ziberov shot dead. They're in Najjar's Blue Honda Civic. Thirty shell casings littered the ground. An investigation begins.
June 5 - 17, 2017: Police said a confidential informant said 25-year-old Jose Canales-Yanez, the now-husband of Cara Yanez, 24-year-old Edgar Garcia-Gaona and his brother 19-year-old Roger Garcia killed Najjar in retaliation for the alleged robbery of Cara Yanez back in December.
June 17, 2017: Police search Edgar Garcia-Gaona's Gaithersburg home and find a partial box of “Blazer" 40-caliber ammunition. Eleven of the 30 shell casings were the same type. All three men are arrested.
