A fatal confrontation in the early morning of March 24, 2023, left two men dead on the 100 block of East South Street in Allentown. Alexander J. Perez-Sotomayor, 42 and a neighborhood resident, was shot multiple times and killed after a brief altercation with 21-year-old Yovanni Suazo. Both men suffered gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene around 1:40 a.m.; the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office later ruled both deaths homicides.

Investigators reviewed witness interviews and numerous video recordings and concluded there was no evidence Suazo or his companion were attempting to break into vehicles. Perez-Sotomayor reportedly made an apparent misassumption that a crime was in progress, armed a .40-caliber Glock and, with a neighbor who carried a metal pipe, confronted Suazo and his companion. An exchange of gunfire followed: Suazo fired a 9mm that struck Perez-Sotomayor multiple times; Perez-Sotomayor’s gun jammed after one shot, but that shot struck Suazo. Authorities concluded the two men had shot and killed one another and announced no criminal charges would be filed, closing the investigation.

If anyone witnessed the events on East South Street that night or has additional information, please share what is known.