Augusta County, VA – An early-morning shooting in Augusta County led to the arrest of a Stuarts Draft man Tuesday after deputies say shots were fired into a residence in the Lyndhurst area.
According to the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred around 6:54 a.m. on October 7, 2025, when dispatchers received a report of shots fired into a home on Blackford Way. Deputies responded and learned the suspect had fled in a 2003 white Jeep Liberty.
Around 7:20 a.m., deputies located the vehicle in the Stuarts Draft area, and the suspect was taken into custody on View Drive without incident. Authorities identified the suspect as Jose Martinez-Cruz, 41, of Stuarts Draft. He has been charged with maliciously shooting into an occupied building, shooting from a vehicle, six counts of child abuse and neglect with reckless disregard for life, reckless handling of a firearm, shooting in a public place where no one was injured, and shooting across a public road.
Sheriff Donald L. Smith said Martinez-Cruz is being held without bond at Middle River Regional Jail. No injuries were reported during the incident. Out of an abundance of caution, all Stuarts Draft Schools were briefly placed on “secure” status while deputies searched for the suspect. The schools were released from lockdown once the suspect was safely taken into custody.
