ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The morning after Allentown police said three people were killed in two separate shootings just hours apart in the city, residents on Friday called for officers to do more to keep their neighborhoods safe.
- Three people were shot and killed in Allentown in a span of seven hours
- Residents near one of the shootings want to see more officers and more cameras in their neighborhood
- Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca encouraged residents to help police by reporting any crimes they see
Several residents who live within a block of where Darnelle Thompson, 39, of Allentown, was fatally shot near the 500 block of North Fourth Street said Allentown police should do more to address crime in the area.
Juan and Denny Torres urged police to put up more lights and cameras throughout their neighborhood to help crack down on violence and drug dealing.
They said they “live scared” and are “very nervous” about crime.
Juan Torres said he is always cautious when he gets home from work, and described how he looks around multiple times before unlocking his car’s doors.
“We go to work and come back,” Denny Torres said, translating for her partner. “When we come back at night, we have to be looking that everything is OK and then get out of the car.”
“The more police officers show their faces around the neighborhood, (the more) people feel safer."Richard Martinez, Allentown resident
Denny Torres said she is looking to buy a home and has considered a property across the street from where they now live. She said she’s talked with that property’s owners, but crime in the neighborhood is making her think twice.
“You think about it because the neighborhood is no good,” she said.
Denny and Juan Torres also called for Allentown police to come to their neighborhood to meet residents and build relationships, and “not only come for trouble.”
More police, better relationships needed
Less than seven hours after Thompson died at Lehigh Valley Health Network's Cedar Crest Campus, two men were found with gunshot wounds in the 100 block of East South Street.
Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio did not release the men's identities, saying he was “allowing the families to grieve privately.”
Allentown police said officers provided first aid to both men, but they were pronounced dead at the scene, Buglio said.
Both fatal shootings are being investigated by the Allentown Police Department and the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force.
Back near the scene of Thompkins' shooting, Richard Martinez, who’s lived in the neighborhood for eight years, said he heard about a fatal shooting Thursday night and saw police taping off Fourth Street.
“I just feel sorry for the family, you know,” he said. “It's sad to lose a loved one.”
Martinez said the area is “getting a little bad,” and he worries it will get worse in the summer “when a lot of people start acting up dumb.”
He called for Allentown police to put undercover officers or a drug-enforcement unit in the neighborhood.
Martinez said he sometimes sees an officer drive through the area, but “that's not enough. They need to put more units out there.”
“The more police officers show their faces around the neighborhood, [the more] people feel safer,” he said.
Residents' safety is 'paramount'
Allentown police said a preliminary investigation revealed several people were trying to open car doors of parked vehicles in the 100 block of East South Street when they were confronted by a resident.
The resident and one of those people died after firing at each other, police said.
Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca said he couldn't provide additional details about the fatal shootings, but that he’s “deeply bothered that they occurred.”
“The major point is building collaborative relationships and being able to address the needs of the community with respect to crime reduction."Allentown Police Chief Charles Rocca
The chief encouraged residents to help police by reporting any crimes they see to 911 or the department’s non-emergency number: 610-437-7751.
Residents are “an important member of the team in addressing crime,” Roca said.
He asked them to gather any information they can for officers who respond — such as descriptions of the people involved and license-plate numbers. He also encouraged residents to put up cameras around their homes to be “proactive.”
Residents’ “safety is always paramount,” Roca said.
But he stopped short of telling residents not to intervene when they see a crime happening.
The chief said residents should attend community meetings, where they can learn about crime trends and meet with officers that “regularly patrol” their neighborhoods.
“The major point is building collaborative relationships and being able to address the needs of the community with respect to crime reduction,” Roca said in an email.
Allentown Police Department also is looking to implement “technological enhancements,” including gunshot-detection technology, to address crime in the city, Roca said.
Mayor Matt Tuerk address recent violence in the City of Allentown ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/wxNhoBwuDL
— City of Allentown (@AllentownCityPA) March 24, 2023
Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk was among hundreds of people rallying Thursday at the March For Our Lives at the State Capitol in Harrisburg. The was launched in 2018 after a student shot and killed 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida.
Tuerk released a statement Friday in which he said he was “sad to see the loss of life” in Allentown.
He called on state lawmakers to pass laws to bolster background checks, enact “extreme risk protection orders,” and require people to report stolen guns.
