Two Allentown men are charged in a shooting that left a 24-year-old man dead on Wednesday.
Jason Luis Gonzalez, 25, of the 100 block of South Hall Street, is charged with felony criminal homicide; felony possession of a prohibited firearm; and misdemeanor reckless endangerment.
Garfield St. Bernard McLean Jr., 30, is charged with felony criminal homicide; felony conspiracy to commit criminal homicide; and felony possession of a prohibited firearm.
Both Gonzalez and McLean were arraigned Thursday morning before District Judge Ronald S. Manescu, who denied bail. They were then both taken to the Lehigh County Jail.
No attorney information was listed in court records for either defendant.
Investigators were called shortly after 4:40 p.m. to an apartment complex in the 100 block of North Eighth Street and found 24-year-old Jahlik Colon in a doorway suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, court records state.
Colon, of Temple, Berks County, was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Salisbury Township, where he was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later, Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio told lehighvalleylive.com.
Colon’s death was ruled a homicide by Buglio. An autopsy is scheduled for later Thursday.
Investigators used surveillance video footage to identify Gonzalez as the shooter and McLean as the driver of the getaway vehicle, according to the affidavits of probable cause in the case. The court records lay out evidence and witness testimony against defendants.
Gonzalez allegedly fire several shots in the complex, striking Colon and almost hitting another man. It’s unclear what the possible motives are and authorities have not yet released that information.
Gonzalez was shown on video footage running from the scene and getting into his 2001 Honda Accord, which McLean drove away, court records state.
City officers shortly after 7 p.m. stopped the Honda as it traveled through Filbert and Susquehanna streets and into the 700 block of North Eighth Street, court records state.
The driver of the vehicle was identified as McLean; the front passenger was identified as Gonzalez; and a female passenger was found with her 1-year-old child in the backseat.
Investigators found a 9mm handgun with a 15-round magazine carrying one live round of 9mm Luger Blazer ammunition inside the magazine, court records state.
The seized ammunition was consistent with the 13 spent shell casings and single live round recovered at the shooting scene, authorities said.
The clothing worn by Gonzalez and McLean also matched surveillance footage from the shooting, according to court records.
Both men were arrested. During the arrest, Gonzalez was found with a cannabis oil pen in his possession and was additionally charged with misdemeanor drug offenses, city police said.
The female passenger in an interview with investigators allegedly admitted to owning the handgun and reported leaving the handgun in the Honda that past Tuesday.
As she was being driven home by Gonzalez and McLean, the woman reported noticing the handgun’s handle sticking out from underneath the passenger seat, where she claimed she left it loaded in the car, court records state.
The woman, however, denied leaving a live round of ammunition in the chamber, city police said.
Prior criminal convictions banned both Gonzalez and McLean from possessing firearms, according to court records.
Both Gonzalez and McLean are due back in court for preliminary hearings tentatively scheduled for Oct. 8 before Judge Manescu. A judge will then determine if there’s sufficient evidence to send the case toward trial at the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas.
The Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office; Allentown police; and the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office continue to investigate the shooting.
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