JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Police have multiple “persons of interest” in Saturday’s death of 23-year-old Joshua Delgado, who was shot multiple times in the Carver apartment complex near downtown, Capt. Eric Dougherty told News Channel 11 Wednesday.
Delgado’s death is being investigated as a homicide, but Dougherty said the Johnson City Police Department (JCPD) has not yet interviewed any of the specific people it has developed as potential suspects. Dougherty said police think the killing was committed by one person, and all the shell casings found were from the same weapon.
“It’s fair to say it could be one of a number of people and an investigation will hopefully help us determine that,” Dougherty said.
Police didn’t get to the scene where Delgado’s body was found — less than 100 yards from the front of 548 Washington Avenue, where they believe he was shot — until six or seven hours after the shooting. A passerby found Delgado’s body on the back porch of 533 Washington Avenue, which is across the street from the building 548 is in, around 10:45 a.m. An autopsy has revealed he died sometime between 3:30 and 4:30 a.m.
That delay created some challenges, though police processed some evidence and canvassed the area in the following hours. Dougherty said a handful of residents at the complex told police they heard gunshots, but no one had called 911.
“That’s a big challenge,” Dougherty said.
He said investigators haven’t been able to establish much beyond knowing of some specific people they want to interview. “There’s been some help from the community,” he said of the interviews police have conducted so far.
“We have to locate people to be able to talk to them and that’s ongoing right now. We’re attempting to locate subjects.”
Due to the stage of the investigation, he said police won’t identify the murder weapon or the exact number of shots that hit Delgado. They don’t yet know why he was shot, either.
“Right now we’re not ruling out anything,” he said. “It’s possible there was a motive that just we haven’t been able to determine yet, but we’re still working on that.”
While they want to, Dougherty said as of Wednesday afternoon police had not spoken with any of Delgado’s family members.
“I have not had the opportunity to speak to his family. If I have the opportunity to speak to his relatives and family, I will take advantage of that.”
The JCPD is urging any community members who might have information related to the case to text tips from the CrimeStoppers lines, or call 911 and ask for a supervisor or someone in criminal investigations.
“We’ll be glad to take that call and just any information they can provide that will help this case or any other case we’re working.”
CrimeStoppers number is (423) 434-6158 and is anonymous. CID is at (423) 434-6166. Tips can be texted to 423JCPD and 847411 with a tip included.
