On Friday night, October 20, 2023, the Martinsville Police Department arrested a second person, Ricardo Ortiz IV, in the murder of Antoine Preston.
Ricardo Ortiz IV, 32-year-old male of Spencer, Virginia, is charged with the following: first-degree murder, shooting from a vehicle to endanger persons, shooting into an occupied vehicle, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Update released Oct. 7, 2023
An arrest has been made in the Antoine Preston homicide which occurred on September 30, 2023, in the 1400 block of Fayette Street. Delano Tomaz Ross, age 46 of Martinsville AKA “Punkin”, has been arrested for 1st Degree Murder, Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony, Shoot from a Vehicle to Endanger Persons, Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle, Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Violent Convicted Felon and Reckless Handling of a Firearm. He was taken into custody by Martinsville Police Officers without incident on Spring Street in Martinsville. Delano Ross is being held without bond.
Although an arrest has been made, police investigators continue to interview additional witnesses and collect evidence, so the case is still under investigation. If anyone has any further information regarding this crime, they are encouraged to call Sgt. Durham at 276-403-5330 or Crime Stoppers at 276-63-CRIME (276-632-7463).
Original Release on Oct. 1, 2023
On September 30, 2023, at 11:43pm The Martinsville-Henry County 911 Center received a call of gunshots around the 1400 block of Fayette Street. When officers arrived, they encountered three individuals who directed the officers to a pickup truck that had went over a guardrail, down a steep embankment and was upside down.
Officers proceeded down the embankment but discovered that the driver and only occupant was deceased.
The three individuals who pointed out the vehicle were not involved in the incident but came upon the scene immediately after the vehicle crash.
Officers discovered evidence at the scene that verified the earlier gunshots and that the pickup truck was the intended target of those gunshots. The Martinsville Fire & EMS Department responded to the scene for the safe securing and removal of the victim and vehicle. Because of the location of the incident, the road had to be closed off temporarily with the assistance of the Henry County Sheriff’s Office and the Virginia State Police.
The victim was identified as Antoine Jermaine Preston, age 47, of Martinsville. The state medical examiner’s office in Roanoke will conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
The investigation is in its early stages as Detectives are continuing to collect and process evidence. If anyone has any information regarding this crime, they are encouraged to contact Sergeant Harley Durham at 276-403-5330 or they can do so anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 276-63-CRIME. More information will be released when it is available; however, no further information will be released at this time.
