ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Lehigh County coroner has identified the victims who died in an exchange of gunfire early Friday.
Killed were Alexander J. Perez-Sotomayor, 42, and Yovanni Suazo, 21, both of Allentown.
- The shooting happened about 1:40 a.m. Friday
- Police summoned to the scene found two men with gunshot wounds
- Authorities say they traded gunshots after a confrontation
Police said Perez-Sotomayor confronted several individuals, including Suazo, who were trying to open doors of parked vehicles in the neighborhood of the 100 block of East South Street.
Perez-Sotomayor and Suazo traded gunshots and both were fatally struck, according to police.
It happened about 1:40 a.m. Police said they found two men with gunshot wounds and both died after police tried to provide first aid.
Lehigh County Coroner Dan Buglio ruled their causes of death as homicide. He said Suazo sustained one gunshot wound, while Perez-Sotomayor suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
Hours earlier, a 39-year-old man died in a separate shooting in the Center City area of Allentown. Darnelle Thompson was shot and killed in the 500 block of North Fourth Street on Thursday night.
MORE: Residents call for stepped up police patrols in wake of violence
That happened about 6:40 p.m. Police said they were looking for witnesses but provided little detail about the investigation.
Anyone with information about the incidents or who may have witnessed them is asked to call the Allentown Police Criminal Investigations Division at 610-437-7721, or make an anonymous tip through the Allentown Police Tip411 app.
Both shootings are being investigated by the Allentown Police Criminal Investigations Division and the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force, as well as the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office and the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office.
