Eight Allentown shooting victims expected to survive as shooting investigation continues, prosecutor says

Eight people who suffered gunshot wounds in a shooting in an Allentown parking lot on Sunday are expected to survive their injuries, the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office said Tuesday.

At about 6:45 p.m., shots were fired in the parking lot just west of the 100 block of North Seventh Street, city police said. Officers responding to the call found several people actively shooting at each other, and police returned fire, Allentown police and District Attorney Gavin Holihan said.

The shooting occurred while the Allentown Dominican Festival was taking place nearby on Sunday, but it did not take place on the festival grounds, officials and organizers said.

At least one man, 21-year-old Yunior Peralta-Quintana, was arrested in connection with the incident. A police news release about the incident lists Peralta-Quintana as being from Bethlehem, while court records say he is from the 300 block of East Union Street in Allentown.

Holihan told lehighvalleylive.com Tuesday afternoon that authorities do not believe any of the eight victims were hit by police bullets, but said the investigation is ongoing.

“… There is still a lot of work to be done,” said Holihan. “It was a chaotic crime scene, a lot of evidence had to be evaluated and many witnesses had to be interviewed.”

Allentown EMS transported several victims to area hospitals. At least one victim required life-saving emergency surgery, police said.

Peralta-Quintana was charged Monday with attempted murder and aggravated assault (two counts), as well as simple assault and reckless endangerment. He was taken to the Lehigh County Jail and denied bail.

Peralta-Quintana is expected to appear in court for a preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled for Sept. 3 to determine whether there is enough evidence to bring the charges to the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas. A representative for the Lehigh County Public Defender's Office said Peralta-Quintana will be represented by the firm, but he was not immediately assigned an attorney.

Holihan said it was too early in the investigation to say whether anyone else was likely to face charges.

“As with any investigation, we will follow the evidence and make a decision based on what the law and the evidence support,” he said.

The district attorney also declined to comment on a possible motive for the shooting.

Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk condemned the violence while praising the quick response of city officials.

“I am incredibly disappointed that the people of Allentown are making poor decisions. Our neighbors have no understanding for those who make our streets unsafe. This behavior is unacceptable and we will continue to take the necessary steps to keep everyone out of harm's way,” the mayor posted on X.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann can be reached at [email protected].