Man Faces Murder, Kidnapping Charges After Multi-County Chase

LUBBOCK, TX — A 22-year-old man was arrested early Tuesday morning after a deadly shooting and a police chase that went across multiple counties.

According to the Lubbock Police Department, the incident started on Monday night, April 7, when officers responded to a report of shots fired at an apartment complex on 130th Street. 

When they arrived, they found Nathan Griggs, 25, inside the apartment with gunshot wounds. Griggs was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police soon learned that the suspect, later identified as Ethan Flores, might have taken a woman and her 10-month-old child from the apartment after the shooting.

Law enforcement tracked the suspect's vehicle and searched for it in Crosby County. Around midnight, a Crosby County deputy saw Flores’s car in Ralls but refused to stop, starting a pursuit. 

The chase went through multiple counties, including Dickens, Kent, and Garza, until Flores crashed his car in downtown Post, at 1:20 a.m. on April 8. 

Flores then ran on foot but was quickly found with help from a DPS helicopter. He was arrested at 1:36 a.m.

The woman and child were found in the car, and the woman was taken to a hospital in Lubbock while the child was released to a family member. 

Flores now faces several charges, including Evading Arrest, Abandoning/Endangering a Child, and Murder. He was served with a murder warrant and is currently in custody at the Lubbock County Detention Center with a total bond of $500,000.

Lubbock Police Chief Seth Herman stated in a press conference on Tuesday that Flores was a “dangerous individual” with a “lengthy criminal history” dating back to 2017.

This investigation is ongoing.