ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A 20-year-old Coplay man fatally shot by Allentown police last week died from multiple gunshot wounds, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office said Monday.
Xavier Arnold was pronounced dead at 8:39 p.m. Friday at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest.
The shooting by police happened about 8:10 p.m. in Center City, near Eighth and Maple streets.
- The Lehigh County Coroner conducted an autopsy Monday on Xavier Arnold
- The 20-year-old Coplay man was fatally shot by Allentown police on Friday, Feb. 10
- The incident happened about 8:10 p.m. near Eighth and Maple streets
The coroner's report added no further details.
According to an Allentown Police Department news release, police witnessed Arnold assaulting someone near Eighth and Maple and attempted to intervene when Arnold ran.
As officers gave chase, police said, Arnold brandished a gun and fired at officers.
An officer returned fire, wounding Arnold. Assistant Chief Michael Becker said police gave aid and Arnold was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he died.
Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said police recovered a semi-automatic weapon from Arnold at the scene, as well as shell casings believed to have been fired from the gun.
According to Lehigh County Coroner Dan Buglio, the manner of death is pending further investigation, which continues and is being conducted by the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force, with assistance from the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office and the Allentown Police Department.
The officers involved have been placed on administrative leave pending the conclusion of the investigation, which may take weeks, Martin said in a news release Saturday afternoon.
"The investigation will include a detailed review of all available audio and video recordings of the incident," Martin said. "While the investigation is ongoing, it is anticipated that there will be no further release of any of this evidence."
Arnold’s friends and family held a candlelight vigil at 8th and Maple streets on Saturday. A GoFundMe has also been started for funeral expenses.
Over the weekend, Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk said the incident is another example of how gun violence pervades society.
“The individual had a gun and the individual lost his life and it goes back to guns,” he said. “A gun played a role in this death. And a gun played a role in everything that led up to this death.
“We have to figure this gun thing out. We need support from our community and our legislators to put an end to gun violence. It's not something we can solve alone.
“We can't make our community safer when guns are out there the way they are,” Tuerk said.
