NEWS INFORMATION FROM |
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THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED |
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SUSPECTS SOUGHT IN SEPARATE CITY SHOOTINGS; 1 VICTIM DIESMayor Stephen R. Reed said today police are searching for suspects in two separate shooting incidents that occurred last evening, killing one man and injuring a 15-year old youth. Reed said police were in Hall Manor on a call when they heard a series of gunshots that initially sounded like firecrackers around 8:35 p.m.. They responded to the area of Row 40 in Hall Manor where they found 35-year old Alfredo D. Pierce suffering from what appeared to be a single gunshot wound to the chest. Though conscious, Pierce was unable to speak to the responding officers and EMS crews, and he died shortly after arrival at Hershey Medical Center. Police believe the suspect is nicknamed “Panama”, who had been arguing and fighting with the victim over an unpaid debt since at least Saturday, when the pair were involved in a physical altercation won by Pierce. “Panama” is described as a dark-skinned Hispanic male in his thirties or early forties, and was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, black skull cap with baseball-type brim and blue pants. He has no permanent address and is believed to have only recently moved to the city. Both the victim and the suspect are known drug dealers, though it is unknown whether this played a role in last night’s shooting. Believed armed and dangerous, anyone with knowledge of “Panama’s” whereabouts should immediately call city police but do not approach him. Police are also searching for suspects in a separate shooting incident last night that left a 15-year old Susquehanna Township youth hospitalized with gunshot wounds to the leg and abdomen. The injuries are not life-threatening but the youth remained hospitalized over night. The incident was first reported to police at 9:22, when the injured youth arrived by private vehicle at Harrisburg Hospital. Responding units were then directed to the 1400 block of Thompson Street in uptown where the incident is believed to have occurred. The victim and another youth were playing street basketball when shots rang out from beyond a nearby wooden fence, with one bullet striking the victim in the leg and another grazing his abdomen. The victim’s father immediately took him to the hospital. There is no evidence to suggest the victim or his friend were targeted by the shooter, and police have no leads or suspects in the case. In three separate shootings that occurred earlier in the week, police have identified 17-year old Rasheek Blackstone, of the 2100 block of Greenwood Street in the city, as a suspect in the Sunday night shooting of 18-year old Antonio Bradley, who was shot once in the shoulder while in the 1600 block of Regina Street around 7:30 p.m. Blackstone, now wanted on attempted homicide charges, is described as an African American male, 5 ft. 11 in. tall, weighing 190 lbs, with brown eyes and medium length black hair. He may be driving a green or blue Ford Taurus station wagon, and hangs out near 17th and Regina Streets. Blackstone was accompanied by two unidentified individuals and he should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information on his whereabouts or others involved in the case are asked to call city police. Unidentified accomplices of the victim Bradley then went looking for Blackstone after the shooting, and instead mistakenly shot 17-year old Isaiah Guinn in the arm. Police are also still looking for Bradley’s two associates in that case. A separate shooting remains under investigation involving 23-year old Jeremy Evans, which occurred around 1 p.m. on Monday in the 2500 block of Lexington Street. Evans suffered a gunshot wound to the foot and has been unable to provide any further information in the case. Police have no leads or suspects in that case. Reed said the spate of shooting incidents is unusual and all are believed to be unrelated. “Violence and the use of firearms to settle disputes are at the heart of most of these crimes,” said the Mayor, “with Harrisburg experiencing what is also happening nationally. Police are making arrests, but the suspects are all too often immediately returned to the streets by a criminal justice system that is clearly inadequate to deal with what is occurring, and they simply continue their criminal behavior.” “This is a sociological phenomena that is and has been occurring all across the nation for some time, and is rooted in a fundamental lack of respect for human life and an absence of the values of personal accountability and responsibility. Easy access to guns, the glorification of violence and desensitization to it engrained by popular culture, and the absence of traditional family structures in the homes of most of those perpetrating these crimes, are all playing a role in what is happening.” “The solutions and answers are not simple or quick, and many are beyond what any local community can by itself address or control. We have made and are making significant strides in Harrisburg, but there is obviously much more to do and we need the help of everyone in solving and preventing these crimes.” The Mayor urged anyone with information in any of the cases to please call city police at (717) 255.3131. All calls will be kept confidential. |
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