Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - After an investigation, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin ruled that the shooting death of a man in Allentown in early August was justified.
Juan Rivera, 28, was pronounced dead Aug. 8 at St. Luke’s Hospital, Sacred Heart Campus. Following an autopsy, Lehigh County Coroner Eric Minnich ruled the cause of death to be a gunshot wound and the manner of death homicide, defined as the death at the hands of another, according to a news release from the district attorney's office.
An investigation by the Allentown Police Department and the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force determined that Rivera and another as yet unidentified man approached a man who was in his vehicle in the rear parking lot of an apartment complex shortly before 3 p.m. on Aug. 8 in the 1700 block of South Idaho Street, according to the release.
Rivera and his accomplice were both armed with handguns and wore facial coverings, the DA's office said. Rivera approached the passenger-side door of the parked vehicle while his accomplice approached the driver-side door.
The registered owner of the vehicle was in the rear passenger compartment doing work on the vehicle’s stereo system when Rivera and his accomplice pointed their guns at the vehicle owner and demanded his property, according to the release. Rivera then got out of the vehicle and went into the vehicle owner’s apartment where Rivera pointed a gun at the people inside, the DA's office said.
At the same time, Rivera’s accomplice struck the owner in the head and pulled him out of the vehicle, the DA's office said. During a struggle between the accomplice and the owner, the accomplice dropped his gun, according to the release. The vehicle owner then picked up the gun, according to the DA's office. The accomplice ran away from the scene.
Rivera left the vehicle owner’s apartment and confronted the owner. Both the owner and Rivera began to run around the parking lot and behind other parked vehicles and both discharged their firearms, the DA's office said. Rivera was hit by a bullet then ran away from the scene. The vehicle owner was not struck by a bullet.
Shortly after the shooting, Rivera was dropped off at the hospital by two unidentified men. Rivera was later pronounced dead.
After reviewing the investigation, including video, Martin ruled that the homicide was justified on the basis of self-defense. No criminal charges will be filed against the victim of the attempted robbery. Because no charges are being filed, the victim will not be identified, the DA's office said.