Allentown Police responded to the 100 block of N. 7th Street around 6:45 PM on Sunday after a barrage of gunfire rang out. Officers immediately engaged with multiple people who were shooting at each other, according to a news release from the Allentown Police Department.
Eight people were injured. It isn’t known at this time whether any of the wounds were from police gunfire. First responders quickly transported victims to local hospitals. All of these individuals are expected to survive.
21-year-old Yunior Peralta-Quintana of Bethlehem was arrested as one of the individuals “actively shooting at a group of people,” according to court records.
Peralta-Quintana is now being held in Lehigh County Jail on one count of attempted criminal homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of simple assault, and one count of recklessly endangering another person.
In a statement, State Representative Josh Siegel of Lehigh County called the incident another example of a young person making a “foolish, reckless, and life-altering decision.” He also called the incident “familiar” for the city and said more must be done to interrupt this violence.
Allentown’s Dominican Festival was going on in the nearby area at the time of the incident. Hundreds of people were gathered for the celebration.
Investigation into the incident is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Allentown Police Department or submit a tip at allentownpa.gov/police.
