On December 7, 2024 at about 6:05 p.m., 46-year-old Hector Manuel Garcia Gomez of Palmerton was shot and killed in the parking lot of Loco Hot Deals, 1155 MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township. He was pronounced dead at 7:43 p.m. at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest from multiple gunshot wounds to the torso. Surveillance shows Garcia Gomez arriving at the store with his wife; she remained in the vehicle while he exited the store and approached his car. A light-colored Honda Civic pulled up behind him and multiple shots were fired from inside the suspect vehicle before it fled.

Investigators say the shooting followed an ongoing dispute between Garcia Gomez and 35-year-old Christian Martinez-Ramos of Allentown, which included physical altercations and threatening texts and calls. Martinez-Ramos was apprehended and admitted to the shooting, saying he used a Glock 19 registered to him. He was charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and related offenses. Also charged was 37-year-old Liz Pacheco of Allentown, who lived with Martinez-Ramos; authorities allege she informed Garcia Gomez’s wife about an affair and helped sell the vehicle used in the crime. The Lehigh County Homicide Task Force and Whitehall Police are handling the investigation; the case is being prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney James A. Augustine.

Are there witnesses or dashcam footage from nearby businesses or homes that might show the suspect vehicle arriving or leaving?