On June 18, 2023, at about 1:15 a.m., a double shooting on the 300 block of Penn Street in Reading, Pennsylvania, left 32-year-old Jorge Mercado-Castro and 29-year-old Jamar Oliver critically wounded after both men were shot while traveling eastward in a vehicle. Oliver was found in the 400 block of Penn Street with a head injury and a gunshot wound to his right arm; Mercado-Castro was located at Fifth and Penn streets with a gunshot wound to the head and died of his injuries on June 19, 2023. Oliver died later that same week.

Police arrested 24-year-old Kevin Irizzarry-DeMarco of Kenhorst and 31-year-old John Roman of Reading on June 19, 2023, charging both with homicide. A witness who transported the suspects to and from the scene identified them to investigators, and surveillance footage reportedly showed the vehicle used in the crime. Both remain in custody pending further proceedings.

This killing was noted amid ongoing lethal shootings in Reading during 2024 that have heightened community concern. If anyone has information about the June 18, 2023 shooting or knew Jorge Mercado-Castro, please contact local authorities.