Johnny Lopez was 17 when he was killed on October 4, 2016, outside a bar on Ninth Street near Liberty Street in Allentown, PA. He was driving with his girlfriend, Madelyn Almonte, as his passenger when two men approached the car and opened fire. Johnny was shot multiple times and was found slumped over the steering wheel after the vehicle crashed into parked cars; he died at the scene. Madelyn suffered a gunshot wound to her thigh when a bullet passed through the passenger door and lodged in her leg.

Investigators say one of the men, later identified as Marquis N. Bannister, returned with a gun and demanded Johnny roll down the window. Madelyn identified Bannister as the shooter and testified that Bannister and an unidentified accomplice planned to rob Johnny, who had been attempting to sell marijuana to the man in the backseat. Bannister fled but was arrested about a month later, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, robbery, and aggravated assault, and in December 2018 received a 30 to 70 year state prison sentence.

Friends, family, and community members mourned Johnny’s death, which drew attention to street-level drug transactions and gun violence. If anyone knew Johnny, Madelyn, or the circumstances outside the bar that night, please share information that could help others understand what happened.