An Ohio man is in custody on murder charges following a shooting at a downtown Reading hotel early Sunday.
Hamlet Vargas, 46, of Fairfield was arraigned before District Judge Clarissa Johnson in Reading Central Court on charges of first-and third-degree murder, and aggravated assault.
He was committed to Berks County Jail without bail.
According to court documents:
Reading police were called to the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in the 700 block of Penn Street about 12:05 a.m. Sunday for a report of a shooting.
Police found a male victim in a first-floor hallway near the exit to the parking garage. The victim, who had suffered a single gunshot wound, was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
After speaking with witnesses, as well as with Vargas, investigators determined that Vargas had shot the victim following an altercation.
One witness told police that she was at the hotel when she was made aware of an incident in which a family member — later identified as Vargas’ daughter — had been harassed by an unknown male.
The witness said Vargas was upset about the incident and went to the parking garage. When Vargas returned to the hotel, he saw a fight involving relatives and people he didn’t know.
Vargas got involved in the fight, during which he shot the victim.
No one in the fight was the person believed to have harassed Vargas’ daughter, the witness said.
A second witness said he witnessed the fight as he left a bathroom at the hotel. He said he saw the victim fall to the ground and tried to help him up and remove him from the situation.
A group of people, including Vargas, then entered from the parking garage and got involved in the altercation.
The witness said he saw Vargas fire a shot at the victim. The witness took a picture of Vargas, which police used to help identify him.
Police found Vargas at the hotel and took him into custody. He claimed he shot the victim in self-defense.
Vargas told police that he had gone to the parking garage to retrieve a gun from his vehicle for protection in case he came across the man who allegedly harassed his daughter.
When he reentered the hotel, he said, he encountered a family member involved in a fight with several other people. Vargas said he got involved in the fight, during which he was struck on the head.
He then fired a single shot, which struck the victim. He told police he was in fear for his life.
Police said video recovered from the hotel shows Vargas entering the hotel from the parking garage and pointing a gun down a hallway as family members try to restrain him. Vargas can be seen firing a shot at the victim.
Vargas later leaves the hotel and goes back into the parking garage.
Mayor Eddie Morán issued the following statement: “We extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family during this difficult time. This was a tragic and isolated incident and does not reflect the safe environment and strong service the DoubleTree consistently provides. Our focus remains on the safety of our community.”