Wanted drive-by shooter arrested

astolfi@sanduskyregister.comPolice tracked down a drive-by shooter who targeted the wrong Sandusky home last week and mistakenly shot up the apartment of a young mother and her infant.Officials asked the public for help in apprehending Jeremiah Velez, 18, 1400 block of Hayes Ave. on Wednesday afternoon.By 7 p.m., officers had him in custody, Sandusky police Chief John Orzech said."Bullets don't have names," Orzech said. "It's clear through the investigation that the rounds were fired into an innocent person's apartment. It's a heinous act and totally unacceptable."Sandusky city commissioner Dick Brady weighed in as well."My hope is that good police work... will send a clear message," Brady said. "If you are stupid enough to commit these types of crimes...our police are going to apprehend you."Shots firedPolice were called to an apartment building in the 200 block of Fulton St. at about 3 a.m. Jan. 26, after five rounds were fired at the lower unit.The incident came just a few hours after a man was shot during an unrelated home invasion in MacArthur Park.When officers arrived on Fulton Street that morning, they found five shell casings in the street.Video surveillance would later reveal a car slowly driving by, and the muzzle of a gun flashing from the passenger's seat, Detective Ken Nixon said.Only one of the five bullets actually penetrated the lower apartment. Nixon said the others may have bounced off the building's brick exterior.The one round that entered the home pierced a front window, went through a wall, then bounced off a second wall before falling to the living room floor.The 25-year-old resident and her 9-month-old infant were asleep in a bedroom at the time.As officers began collecting evidence, receiving tips, and interviewing those allegedly involved, they learned there were two other accomplices in the vehicle at the time of the shooting.Police were then able identify Velez as the man in the passenger's seat, and thus, the alleged gunman.Nixon said Velez was in a feud with the upper apartment unit's resident over some owed money. He'd intended on firing at that unit, Nixon said, but instead hit the wrong one.Two warrants for felonious assault were issued against Velez this week, and he was arrested Wednesday evening, Orzech said.More charges will likely be forthcoming pending the decision of a grand jury.Said Brady: "All of the economic development plans, the blight elimination efforts, the millions of dollars that this city will spend on infrastructure will be for nothing if we do not continue to effectively deal with this criminal element," Brady said.Velez/ Provided photo