Steve Burns

WMAL.com

GAITHERSBURG – (WMAL) Montgomery County Police say they have three men under arrest for the murders of Shadi Najjar and Artem Ziberov, two Northwest High School students killed the day before they were set to graduate. Police say Najjar was likely killed in retaliation for a drug robbery a friend said he committed some months prior. Ziberov, police said, may have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“An interview with a friend of Najjar revealed that he had committed a drug-related robbery in December of 2016 or January of 2017,” Police Chief Tom Manger said. “It is rumored that he stole drugs from a girl during a drug deal.”

That girl turned out to be the wife of one of the alleged shooters, police said. Those arrested are 25-year-old Jose Canales-Yanez, 24-year-old Edgar Garcia-Gaona, and his brother, 19-year-old Roger Garcia. All are charged with two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Roger Garcia, police said, may have lured Najjar to Montgomery Village that night under the ruse of Najjar selling Garcia a ticket to the commencement ceremony the next day.

The robbery Najjar allegedly committed, police said, was violent. Canales-Yanez’s wife reported to police she was dragged about 50 feet by a blue Honda Civic and her iPad was stolen. Najjar was known to drive a blue Honda Civic.

Ziberov had no known connection to the botched drug deal or any of the suspects, police said.

“We’re unsure right now if there was a motive to kill Ziberov as well, or he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Manger said.

The three suspects are expected to make their first court appearance on Monday.