Two Pennsylvania boys shot and killed while playing with their kittens
Two Pennsylvania boys were fatally shot while playing with their kittens outside their home when a gunman opened fire on a teenager who was also killed in the triple homicide.
Jesus Perez-Salome, 8, was pronounced dead on the back porch of his home on Tuesday and 9-year-old Sebastian Perez-Salome was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries in a “truly heartbreaking” shooting in Lebanon, according to Mayor Sherry Capello.
Also killed was 19-year-old Joshua Lugo-Perez, who police believe was the intended target.
“There are two children dead as a result of this incident. They were outside playing with their kittens, they had nothing to do with this,” Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf. “And their mother lost two of their children that evening.”
Authorities have arrested two suspects so far – and are seeking a third, Lebanon police chief Bret Fisher said during a Thursday press conference.
Sebastian Perez-Salome, 9, and Jesus Perez-Salome, 8, were killed in the shooting. Laika Salome/Facebook
Lugo-Perez was also rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. He and the suspects had previously got into a dispute, police said.
“At this time, we still believe that Lugo was the target of the gunfire,” Fisher said. “This was a result of a past argument.”
A fourth victim, 33-year-old Luis Cancel, was also injured in the shooting, authorities said. He’s expected to recover.
A hole and a cracked vehicle window are shown at the scene of a shooting in Lebanon, Pa., Wednesday, May 31, 2023. AP
The shooting was called heartbreaking by the city’s mayor. WFMZ
A man and a teenager were arrested Wednesday and charged with three counts of criminal homicide and conspiring to commit that homicide, as well as one count of aggravated assault, Graf said.
The two suspects tried to flee when authorities searched a building, Fisher said.
One of the suspects was arrested right away and the other was taken into custody three hours later, Fisher said.
James Fernandez-Reyes was arrested and charged. WFMZ-TV
Alex Torres-Santos is accused of being involved in the shooting. WFMZ-TV
The alleged killers were identified as 22-year-old Alex Torres-Santos and 16-year-old James Fernandez-Reyes, according to the Lebanon Daily News.
The third suspect, an unidentified man, is still being hunted by officers.
Graf said prosecutors would weigh whether or not to pursue the death penalty in the case.
“It is not one we take lightly,” she said of the decision.
Source: New York Post
