Young Brothers Playing With Kittens Killed in Hail of Bullets
- 7 months ago
Young Brothers Playing With Kittens Killed in Hail of Bullets.
Sebastian Perez-Salome, 9, and Jesus Perez-Salome, 8, were playing with kittens outside of their home in the 400 Block of N. 5th Street Tuesday evening, according to Lebanon District Attorney Pier Hess Graf.
Around 10 p.m. that evening, the two boys, along with Joshua Lugo-Perez, 19, were shot and killed by three assailants. Jesus died on the back porch of his residence. Sebastian, who was inside the residence, was transported to a Dauphin County Medical Facility, where he later died.
"They had nothing to do with this, and their mother lost two of her children that evening," Graf said at a Thursday morning press conference.
While Lebanon County law enforcement have arrested and charged two residents with three counts of criminal homicide, officials are still looking for a third individual involved in Tuesday night's fatal shooting.
"All we know is that it's an unknown male believed to be an adult, but it could be a 17-year-old who appears to be far older," Graf said. "All we know was it was an adult male at this time."
Alex Torres-Santos, 22, and James Fernandez-Reyes, 16, were arrested Wednesday morning after the Lebanon County SWAT team executed a search warrant on the 400 block of N. 9th Street.
"At this time, we still believe that Lugo was the target of the gunfire," Lebanon City Police Chief Bret Fisher said. "This was the result of a past argument."
Torres-Santos and Fernandez-Reyes have been charged with three counts of criminal homicide, conspiracy to commit homicide, along with various gun-related offenses. Torres-Santos and Fernandez-Reyes also were charged with one count of aggravated assault for Louis Cancel, 33, of Lebanon, who was hit in the next-door residence by a stray bullet during the shooting.
The district attorney's office is beginning the legal work to determine if this is a death penalty case, Graf said.
Torres-Santos and Fernandez-Reyes are currently being held without bail at the Lebanon County Correctional Facility.
Police located multiple .223 rifle round and 9mm shell casings that showed at least 27 gunshots fired at the North 5th Street home Tuesday. Officials said these shots came from two different caliber firearms, and were located at the western edge of the playground behind the building.
In an affidavit released Thursday, police said a witness saw the shooter in an area where the spent cartridges were located, and left in a white vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed.
A search of Torres-Santos' and Fernandez-Reyes' residence Wednesday revealed multiple firearms, including an AR-15 and a secondary weapon, which officials said was consistent with the shell casings located at the scene.
Sean Weaver, who observed Wednesday's arrest, said that the entire block surrounding the site had been blocked off by police vehicles, accompanied by what he described as a military-style SWAT vehicle.
“We were watching it,” he said, “they went in with the sh
Sebastian Perez-Salome, 9, and Jesus Perez-Salome, 8, were playing with kittens outside of their home in the 400 Block of N. 5th Street Tuesday evening, according to Lebanon District Attorney Pier Hess Graf.
Around 10 p.m. that evening, the two boys, along with Joshua Lugo-Perez, 19, were shot and killed by three assailants. Jesus died on the back porch of his residence. Sebastian, who was inside the residence, was transported to a Dauphin County Medical Facility, where he later died.
"They had nothing to do with this, and their mother lost two of her children that evening," Graf said at a Thursday morning press conference.
While Lebanon County law enforcement have arrested and charged two residents with three counts of criminal homicide, officials are still looking for a third individual involved in Tuesday night's fatal shooting.
"All we know is that it's an unknown male believed to be an adult, but it could be a 17-year-old who appears to be far older," Graf said. "All we know was it was an adult male at this time."
Alex Torres-Santos, 22, and James Fernandez-Reyes, 16, were arrested Wednesday morning after the Lebanon County SWAT team executed a search warrant on the 400 block of N. 9th Street.
"At this time, we still believe that Lugo was the target of the gunfire," Lebanon City Police Chief Bret Fisher said. "This was the result of a past argument."
Torres-Santos and Fernandez-Reyes have been charged with three counts of criminal homicide, conspiracy to commit homicide, along with various gun-related offenses. Torres-Santos and Fernandez-Reyes also were charged with one count of aggravated assault for Louis Cancel, 33, of Lebanon, who was hit in the next-door residence by a stray bullet during the shooting.
The district attorney's office is beginning the legal work to determine if this is a death penalty case, Graf said.
Torres-Santos and Fernandez-Reyes are currently being held without bail at the Lebanon County Correctional Facility.
Police located multiple .223 rifle round and 9mm shell casings that showed at least 27 gunshots fired at the North 5th Street home Tuesday. Officials said these shots came from two different caliber firearms, and were located at the western edge of the playground behind the building.
In an affidavit released Thursday, police said a witness saw the shooter in an area where the spent cartridges were located, and left in a white vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed.
A search of Torres-Santos' and Fernandez-Reyes' residence Wednesday revealed multiple firearms, including an AR-15 and a secondary weapon, which officials said was consistent with the shell casings located at the scene.
Sean Weaver, who observed Wednesday's arrest, said that the entire block surrounding the site had been blocked off by police vehicles, accompanied by what he described as a military-style SWAT vehicle.
“We were watching it,” he said, “they went in with the sh