A fight involving well over a dozen people outside a south Reading tavern over the weekend escalated into gunfire, resulting in two people being shot and one of the alleged aggressors in Berks County Jail facing a half-dozen felony charges.
Police responded to South Seventh and Laurel streets about 2 a.m. Saturday for a report of a shooting. The caller said three shots were fired during a fight, and a male victim was believed to be inside a sedan parked nearby.
While officers didn’t find a shooting victim inside the car, they found a man, later identified as 46-year-old Julio E. Echevarria, who appeared to be hiding a gun inside the glove compartment, with two other occupants.
According to court documents:
Police then located the male gunshot victim about 30 feet from the car. He had two gunshot wounds to an arm.
Two spent bullet casings were found along with a projectile and a live round in the immediate area where the victim was found.
A short time later, police were notified that a female gunshot victim had arrived by private vehicle at the Reading Hospital emergency department. She had a gunshot wound to the stomach.
Police reviewed footage of the incident from the bar’s exterior security cameras. It showed about 18 people arguing and fighting. Echevarria was observed to be one of the main aggressors. He pulled a pistol from his waistband and fired a shot into the air.
As the group makes its way around a corner of the bar, more gunfire is heard, and the two victims are struck.
Medical conditions for the shooting victims were unavailable.
Echevarria of the 300 block of Lackawanna Street was committed to the jail without bail to await a hearing on felony counts of aggravated assault, riot and carrying a firearm without a license, among other lesser offenses.
Police were called to another shooting, this one in the downtown area, about 15 hours after the south Reading shooting.
Shortly after 7:15 p.m., a male was reportedly shot on Washington Street in the area of Fifth Street. Reports indicated the victim got into a vehicle that left the scene and was located a short time later in the city’s northwest section.
Police on Monday declined to provide any information about the Saturday evening shooting because it’s the subject of an active investigation.