Three charged in Wagon Werks shooting of Columbia teen; two accused of disposing of weapons

Wagon Werks Apartments at 900 Plane Street 

According to a LancasterOnline article by reporter Dan Nephin, new details have emerged in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Wilfredo Garcia. Police are now charging two additional people in connection with the July 18 incident, in which Garcia was shot in the head.

According to charging documents made public Friday, investigators allege that after the shooting, two individuals removed firearms and related items from the home and attempted to dispose of them.

Jose Manuel Lopez III, 16, of Columbia, has been identified by police as the person who fired the fatal shot. Lopez reportedly told investigators he picked up a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun, was aware it was loaded, and pointed it at Garcia when it discharged.

Lopez faces charges of third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, three counts of reckless endangerment, and a firearms violation. He is currently being held without bail at the Lancaster County Youth Intervention Center. A preliminary hearing has tentatively been set for Aug. 11.

Bryant Alexis Ramos, 18, of West Hempfield Township, faces charges including tampering with evidence, hindering apprehension or prosecution, conspiracy, and illegal possession of a firearm. Investigators say that following the shooting, Ramos and another individual, identified in court records only by initials, took a shoebox containing the Smith & Wesson used in the shooting and a second firearm, and various gun parts and tools out of the residence. Court documents state the pair later discarded the weapons in separate locations: the Smith & Wesson near Lititz and the second gun in York County. Both firearms have since been recovered by police.

Ramos and the second individual reportedly gave statements to Lancaster County detectives during interviews conducted on July 23.

Xxavior G. Michener, 19, of Columbia, has been charged with carrying a firearm without a license after telling police he was the owner of the weapon used in the shooting. Michener resides at the Wagon Werks Apartments in the 900 block of Plane Street, the same complex where the shooting took place.

During his own interview with detectives on July 23, Michener said he had removed the Smith & Wesson from his waistband and placed it on a bed inside the Plane Street apartment.

As of Friday, neither Ramos nor Michener appeared in the Lancaster County Prison database, indicating neither was in custody at that time.

The investigation is ongoing.