READING, Pa – Outside the DoubleTree Hotel on Penn Street, days after a tragedy, a friend is being warmly remembered.
“I kinda broke down and little bit of tears and went in the Facebook and wrote him a long message. Just really sad that I didn’t get to spend more time with him,” said Rodney Shipe.
Police say 57-year-old Jorge Luis Ocasio-Ortiz of Reading was shot by Hamlet Vargas of Ohio.
Police say it stemmed from a prior altercation and that Ocasio-Ortiz was an innocent bystander trying to help when he got shot.
“I think a lot of the situations that occur in this city are kind of pinpointed by arguments within a small group. I don’t think there’s a lot of random violence,” Shipe said.
Rodney Shipe was friends with the victim and says Ocasio-Ortiz worked at the hotel for years.
Former General Manager of the DoubleTree, Craig Poole, shared a statement, saying in part, quote: “I loved Jorge and his brother like a father would love his own son and will miss him dearly. This never should have happened.” He added that Jorge was creative and served others before himself.
“We would pass each other on Penn Street and we’d stop and always have a conversation,” Shipe recalled.
Rodney says Jorge loved the hotel and the City of Reading and that Rodney believes Jorge died trying to help someone else.
“It seems like he did it trying to help someone else as well, which I can believe that thoroughly because he was always somebody that went out of their way to help somebody in need or in distress,” he recalled.
Rodney says Jorge will be remembered for his sacrifice and the positive impact he had on his family and friends.
“In my eyes, what I understand about the situation, he died a hero,” added Rodney.