READING, Pa. — A shooting at City Park Monday night. A triple shooting outside a bar on Cotton Street over the weekend. And growing frustration.
Monday night, anti-violence protesters disrupted a Reading City Council Committee of the Whole meeting. Council President Donna Reed temporarily recessed the meeting.
Many are wondering: what is happening in the city?
“These shootings that occurred over the weekend and yesterday… they’re isolated incidents. They’re not random,” Reading Police Chief Javier Ruiz said.
Ruiz says one person has been arrested in the weekend triple shooting.
“We are having issues with bars after hours,” Ruiz said. “The bar issues that we have, we have identified them, and we are working on them.”
Both investigations remain active. But in the meantime, city leaders say they hear the frustration. They’re preparing a deeper conversation on June 13, hoping to find solutions.
“We’re going to work with other organizations that work with children and youth,” Reed said. “We certainly want comments from the community… but let’s all be calm. Let’s talk.”
One of those organizations is Centro Hispano.
“I think it’s important for the community to understand that we all have a role to play,” said Mike Toledo, President of Centro Hispano. “The Hispanic Center must play their part. City government must play their part. But each of us has a role to play.”
And with plenty of events expected this summer, police want people to know safety is a priority.
“We’re actually excited that FIFA is going to be here in 2026,” Ruiz said. “And we are not tolerating any acts of violence around FIFA. We do not tolerate violent crimes like that.”
Police continue investigating both shootings.