Police release names of two boys, 8 and 9, and a 19-year-old killed in shooting
Lebanon City Police released the names of the three victims, two of whom are 8 and 9 year old boys, from the shooting on N. 5th Street Tuesday evening.
Sebastian Perez-Salome, 9, Jesus Perez-Salome, 8, and Joshua Lugo-Perez, 19, were killed in the shooting, officials said in a release Wednesday afternoon.
Louis Cancel, 33, of Lebanon, was also injured in the shooting.
Police were dispatched around 10:06 p.m. to the 400 block of North 5th Street for a report of gunshots. When police arrived, they found four people with gunshot wounds.
During a press conference Wednesday, Police Chief Bret Fisher said one of the victims were targeted. Officials did not identify that individual in their latest press release.
Fatal shooting: Two boys, 8 and 9, and 19-year-old man dead in Lebanon City shooting
Both Sebastian Perez-Salome and Jesus Perez-Salome were were Lebanon School District students. In a letter on the district's website, Superintendent Dr. Arthur Abrom said officials extended their heartfelt sympathies to the families suffering after this incident.
"A young person’s death is always a heartbreaking and troubling event and the loss of a young life can have a profound effect on the student’s friends and classmates," he said. "It is important that we, as family members and educators, recognize this loss and offer assistance."
The district's Student Assistance Team, trained to respond in the event of a crisis, will be available to students. Abrom added that school counselors will be available on site to give students the opportunity to be seen individually or in a small group setting.
A GoFundMe page has been organized for Sebastian Perez-Salome and Jesus Perez-Salome's family, which can be reached at gofundme.com/f/jesus-and-sebastian-memorial-service.
The Lebanon County SWAT team executed a search warrant on North 9th St. Wednesday morning for a person of interest in the case, with Fisher saying that one person was taken into custody for an unrelated matter.
Officials did not release the names of the suspect in the Wednesday afternoon release, only saying that the investigation is moving forward.
The Lebanon City Police Department, the Lebanon County District Attorney's Office and Detective Bureau, the Pennsylvania State Police and other Lebanon County police departments assisted in the investigation.
In her State of the City address in March, Cappello reported that crimes such as homicide, rape and assault have decreased by more than 59% when comparing the city statistics to those of 20 years ago. The city saw two homicides in 2022.
In 2022, there were four street crime incidents involving gun fire and nine random gun fire incidents. During the first three months of 2023, the city has experienced multiple gun incidents.
"These shootings are unacceptable. As a mom, I cannot overstated how heartbroken I am for the families," Capello said at Wednesday's press conference. "I cannot imagine what these families are going through right now. It is unimaginable. As the mayor, I am heartbroken for our community."
State of the City Address: 'Lebanon is safe': Mayor says city still seeing significant decreases in serious crime
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Lebanon City Police Department at (717) 272-6611 or Crime Stoppers at (717) 270-9800.
This investigation is ongoing. Please check back with the Lebanon Daily News for updates.
Reporter Daniel Larlham contributed to this story.
Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on Twitter at @DAMattToth.
This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Police release names of 2 boys & 19-year-old killed in Lebanon shooting
