Fort Sumner residents are breathing a sigh of relief after two dangerous suspects were captured following a tense manhunt that shut down the community. Jovan Martinez was on the run after state police said he opened fire on an officer two days ago, and a warrant was out for his suspected accomplice, Makaela Johnson, for first-degree murder. They were also accused of carjacking a couple at gunpoint before hiding out in Fort Sumner.An intensive search took place over the next two days, leading authorities to a residential shed where they believed the two were hiding. State police found them inside. Robert Kenyon left for work on Wednesday morning, thinking it was just another day, only to find his home becoming the center of a high-stakes manhunt. Martinez and Johnson were hiding just feet from his back door.”We kind of live out in the country. We’re not used to this kind of thing happening to us,” Kenyon told KOAT. Kenyon said he had an eerie feeling that he needed to stay home after leaving work, and about an hour later, he received a call from the sheriff’s office asking to search the premises.”Well, at that point, I had these weird feelings that somebody had been watching us, like somebody was watching me. And I didn’t really understand it or pay attention to it very much. And then when the officer called me, it started making a little more sense,” Kenyon said. Kenyon said he had no idea how long the pair had been in his shed, believing they got in through an unlocked window. KOAT observed dried blood on the cement near the home. Fort Sumner Municipal Schools will reopen on Thursday.
Fort Sumner residents are breathing a sigh of relief after two dangerous suspects were captured following a tense manhunt that shut down the community.
Jovan Martinez was on the run after state police said he opened fire on an officer two days ago, and a warrant was out for his suspected accomplice, Makaela Johnson, for first-degree murder. They were also accused of carjacking a couple at gunpoint before hiding out in Fort Sumner.
An intensive search took place over the next two days, leading authorities to a residential shed where they believed the two were hiding. State police found them inside.
Robert Kenyon left for work on Wednesday morning, thinking it was just another day, only to find his home becoming the center of a high-stakes manhunt. Martinez and Johnson were hiding just feet from his back door.
“We kind of live out in the country. We’re not used to this kind of thing happening to us,” Kenyon told KOAT.
Kenyon said he had an eerie feeling that he needed to stay home after leaving work, and about an hour later, he received a call from the sheriff’s office asking to search the premises.
“Well, at that point, I had these weird feelings that somebody had been watching us, like somebody was watching me. And I didn’t really understand it or pay attention to it very much. And then when the officer called me, it started making a little more sense,” Kenyon said.
Kenyon said he had no idea how long the pair had been in his shed, believing they got in through an unlocked window. KOAT observed dried blood on the cement near the home.
Fort Sumner Municipal Schools will reopen on Thursday.
