ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A fifth person has been charged in the 2024 shooting death of a city man at Fountain Park.
Alfeni Romero-Taveras, 22, of Allentown, was charged Friday in the June 1, 2024, death of Angel Martinez-Velez on a basketball court at Fountain Park on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
An investigation revealed Romero-Tavares is the gunman who killed the victim.Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan and city Police Chief Charles Roca, in a release
An investigation revealed Romero-Tavares is the gunman who killed the victim, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan and city Police Chief Charles Roca said in a release.
Romano-Taveras faces felony counts of homicide and conspiracy to commit homicide and a misdemeanor charge of tampering with evidence, according to the release.
Allentown Police were called to a shooting on the basketball court at 6:30 p.m. June 1, 2024, and found Martinez-Velez, of Allentown, with several gunshot wounds.
Martinez-Velez died from multiple gunshot wounds and the Lehigh County coroner ruled his death a homicide.
Details of the case
Monday's release gave this account of the case:
Witnesses described two gunmen with one wearing a red jacket, black pants and a mask, according to the release.
The other armed suspect wore a grey shirt, dark pants, a fanny pack and a mask. Both fled in a dark-colored Honda Accord.
Directly behind the Honda Accord was a white Nissan Infiniti, also traveling from Fountain Park, then eastbound on Union Street.
Immediately after the shooting and 911 calls, Allentown city cameras recorded those two vehicles fleeing Fountain Park and appearing to travel together.
Police tracked the vehicles through the city on the camera system traveling together at a high speed.
By reviewing those cameras, investigators were able to identify the license plate of the Accord and saw a front-seat passenger wearing a red jacket.
Investigators were able to identify the owner of the white Infiniti registered to Carlos Nathaniel Landesta-Agramonte, who lived at a home on East Court Street in Allentown.
Less than two hours after the shooting, both vehicles were seen near the East Court Street home and those vehicles were seized pursuant to a search warrant.
Inside the vehicle, police found clothing and masks worn that matched the descriptions given by witnesses to the shooting.
Four previous arrests
A witness whose name authorities said will not be released told investigators Romero-Tavares was one of the armed men who shot and killed the victim.
Romero-Tavares’ DNA was found on some of the clothing recovered after the shooting.Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan and city Police Chief Charles Roca, in a release
Romero-Tavares’ DNA was also found on some of the clothing recovered after the shooting.
Others charged in this case include Joel Garcia-Paulino and Wilmer Esquiel Marte-Tavarez, who are awaiting trial.
Landesta Agramonte pleaded guilty last month to third-degree murder and related charges and is awaiting sentencing.
Grelvis Estevez Cabrera this month was convicted by a jury of all charges that include homicide, first-degree murder and related charges.
He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.
This case was investigated by Allentown Police Detective Theodore Kiskeravage and Lehigh County Homicide Task Force Detective Moses Miller.
The case is prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney Ramma R. Mineo and Chief of Prosecutions Patricia Fuentes Mulqueen.
