photo by: Journal-World File Photo

In this file photo from Aug. 4, 2020, a Lawrence Police Department patrol vehicle is pictured outside the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center.

Two Lawrence men accused of attempted murder for a shooting in North Lawrence allegedly fired 10 to 12 shots into a car with two people in it, according to affidavits supporting their arrests.

Some of the shots allegedly struck the head and neck of a female passenger in the vehicle.

Alejandro Martinez-Diaz, 18, and Ontareo X. Jackson, 18, have both been charged with two counts of attempted second-degree murder in the May 27 shooting. The charges are level-three felonies and come with a minimum 55-month sentence in prison, about 4.5 years, for each charge, according to the state’s sentencing guidelines.

Lawrence police arrested Martinez-Diaz on May 28. He was later released from jail after posting a $75,000 cash or surety bond. Jackson was arrested on Aug. 3 and was still in jail custody as of Friday morning.

Both men are scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, where evidence in the case will be presented to the court and Judge Kay Huff will decide whether to order them to stand trial.

The affidavits supporting their arrests were recently released to the Journal-World with some information redacted. Allegations in affidavits have not been proved in court, and defendants in criminal cases should be presumed not guilty unless and until they are convicted.

According to the affidavit:

Police first responded to the shooting around 7 p.m. May 27 after the male driver of the vehicle called to report the shooting. He said he was on his way to the hospital with the female passenger, his girlfriend, who had just been shot in the head by people in another vehicle near the North Seventh and North streets intersection.

When officers reached the scene, neighbors in the area reported that they had heard 10 to 12 gunshots. Officers also found shell casings in the area for three different calibers of firearms.

Police later interviewed the woman, who was alert and conscious despite the wounds to her head and neck. She told police she and the male driver were traveling from Lawrence to Tonganoxie when they realized another car with four people in it was following them.

She said the male driver turned onto a different street to see if the car would continue to follow them, which it did. She said the following car then drove around them and stopped in front of them, cutting them off and forcing them to stop.

The woman said she saw Martinez-Diaz, whom she’s known since middle school, get out of the car holding a “large gun.” She said he took several steps toward their car and began firing. The woman said she remembers only one shot, which struck her in the head. She said the gunfire was “extremely loud” but didn’t remember much else about the incident.

Meanwhile, the driver told police that when the vehicle was following them he saw Jackson yelling at their vehicle to pull over because he wanted to talk to them. He also said the car occupied by Martinez-Diaz and Jackson pulled in front of them and cut them off to stop them.

The driver said he saw Jackson point a rifle out of the passenger window and begin firing. He said he heard his girlfriend scream and saw blood coming down her neck. He then sped past Jackson and Martinez-Diaz’s car and drove to the hospital. He also told the officers that his girlfriend and Martinez-Diaz were previously in a relationship and that Martinez-Diaz was abusive toward her.

Police also inspected the man’s car and found bullet holes in the vehicle, including in the passenger side headrest. They also found a black handgun on the floor of the vehicle.

Later, police spoke to Martinez-Diaz’s mother, who lives in the area of the shooting. She told police Martinez-Diaz was at her home that day, but she noticed around 7 p.m. that he was no longer there. She said she was outside when she heard a shooting of “10 to 12 shots from two distinct sounding weapons.”

The mother also showed police her phone, where they saw she had two calls from Martinez-Diaz just minutes after the shooting. She also told police her son’s closest friend was Jackson.

The Journal-World has requested Martinez-Diaz and Jackson’s booking photos, but has not yet received them from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.