On the evening of May 30, 2023, in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, 8-year-old Jesús Pérez-Salome and his 9-year-old brother Sebastián were killed by gunfire while playing with kittens in their backyard. A 19-year-old household member, Joshua Lugo-Pérez, was also fatally shot. A 33-year-old neighbor, Luis Cancel, suffered a gunshot wound from a stray bullet, underwent surgery, and is expected to recover.

Authorities say the shooters targeted Lugo-Pérez after a prior argument and that the two boys were unintended victims. The Lebanon County District Attorney’s Office charged three people: Alex Torres-Santos, 22, who was on house arrest and wearing an ankle monitor at the time; James Fernandez-Reyes, 16, charged as an adult; and Ivan Claudio Rosero, 27, who was arrested in Philadelphia after a weeklong manhunt. All three face multiple counts including criminal homicide and conspiracy; the DA’s Office signaled it may seek the death penalty against Torres-Santos and Rosero.

The family had moved from Puerto Rico in 2019 and had recently lost belongings in an apartment fire the year before. Fundraising is under way to help transport the children’s bodies back to Puerto Rico for burial. Does anyone have information about the shooting or knew the family who might help investigators?