A 45-year-old Reading resident has been identified as the man fatally shot early Friday in an apartment in the 500 block of Lancaster Avenue.
Alex B. Rosado-Laboy, who lived in the apartment where the shooting occurred, was pronounced dead at 4:17 a.m. Friday, according to Berks County Coroner Matthew J. Stitzel.
Stitzel said an autopsy is scheduled for Monday in Reading Hospital and will be performed by forensic pathologist Dr. Neil Hoffman. A ruling on the cause and manner of death are pending completion of the autopsy and the ongoing investigation, Stitzel said.
A second man was shot in the apartment and was taken to Reading Hospital by ambulance, District Attorney John T. Adams said.
The suspected shooter has been identified and is being sought by Reading police, Adams said. The individual’s name hasn’t been released. The district attorney described him as a person of interest.
The shootings are not believed to be random acts of violence, police said. Investigators determined the suspect forcibly entered the residence about 2 a.m., and both victims suffered gunshot wounds, they said in a report.
The apartment is on the east side of the block, just south of Grace Street, where there are several storefronts with second-floor apartments.
It was the second fatal shooting in a week in Reading. On July 4, a 16-year-old boy was fatally shot during an apparently random dispute in north Reading outside an Independence Day gathering. Another teen was arrested and charged with criminal homicide.
Anyone with information related to the homicide investigation is asked to contact Reading police at 610-655-6116. Information can also be provided anonymously by calling Crime Alert Berks County’s anonymous tip line at 1-877-373-9913. Crime Alert offers cash rewards for information that leads to an arrest.