Teen charged with attempted homicide in Edwardsville shooting
EDWARDSVILLE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— State police arrested a 17-year-old they say is responsible for a shooting that critically injured a 19-year-old.
Around 6:15 p.m. Thursday, officials say the Edwardsville Police Department was called to the Eagle Ridge Apartment Complex in Edwardsville for a reported shooting.
Investigators say they reviewed nearby surveillance video to learn that 17-year-old Erik Reyes Jr. shot the victim during a disturbance and fled the scene.
17-year-old Erik Reyes Jr is charged as an adult with attempted homicide and related counts. The victim Jaivel Pope was shot in the stomach and is in critical condition.
28/22 News spoke with the Luzerne County District attorney about the recent rise in juvenile crime and how they are dealing with it.
Driver who fled multi-vehicle crash on I-80 apprehended
28/22 News also spoke with members of the community, who say they’re in disbelief and disgusted.
“That is nonsense. Usually, fights are just fistfights not shooting or stabbing somebody. Just threw your whole entire life away for no reason,” said Nadirah Saunder a neighbor.
“That’s no good, this is no good,” added Jose Encarcaon.
Neighbors are expressing their concerns after a shooting in very near to their homes. 17-year-old Erik Reyes jr is now behind bars without bail, facing multiple charges as an adult.
Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Julian Truskowski says attempted homicide qualifies Reyes to stand trial as an adult.
Another reason for the upgrade: no juvenile beds.
“Part of the process in charging a juvenile as an adult is to check whether there’s any beds available, in this case, there weren’t,” stated Assistant DA Truskowski.
Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce says prevention measures are in place to try and combat the rise in juvenile crime, such as programming at schools.
However, he says there are still lots of unanswered questions surrounding how guns are getting into the hands of young people.
“Why is this increase occurring? Why is access so prevalent nowadays? And we’re not sure we have the answers to that,” says DA Sanguedolce.
The DA’s office is hoping to get some help answering those questions through Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposed budget plan, which aims to put millions of dollars toward a grant program giving counties resources to combat gun violence.
In the meantime, the district attorney says there are two routes they are taking.
“Number one, punishment to the maximum extent of the law for people that are careless with firearms. Number two, education education education for juveniles. You know guns are not toys. When you discharge them it isn’t like on TV where everybody gets up and isn’t seriously injured. It’s usually a deadly occurrence,” continued DA Sanguedolce.
Reyes is being charged as an adult with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and firearms violations. After arraignment, he will be transported to the Luzerne County Jail.
According to Pennsylvania state police, there is still no word on what led to the shooting.
We’ll continue to keep you updated as the story develops.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.
