What to Know
- Allentown police say an officer shot and critically wounded a man who repeatedly fired a handgun outside a strip mall in the eastern Pennsylvania city over the weekend.
- Police said in a statement that the officer was on routine patrol in the American Plaza Shopping Center parking lot just before 2 a.m. Saturday when he heard shots fired and saw a 22-year-old man “repeatedly firing a handgun.”
- Police said the suspect didn’t heed commands to drop the weapon and the officer subsequently fired four shots, striking the man at least two times.
Allentown police say an officer shot and critically wounded a man who repeatedly fired a handgun outside a strip mall in the eastern Pennsylvania city over the weekend.
Police said in a statement that the officer was on routine patrol in the American Plaza Shopping Center parking lot just before 2 a.m. Saturday when he heard shots fired amongst a crowd of people and saw a 22-year-old man “repeatedly firing a handgun."
Police said the suspect -- who they identified as Elyn Jose Marte -- didn't heed commands to drop the weapon and the officer subsequently fired four shots, striking the man at least two times. Marte was taken to a hospital, where he was said to be in critical but stable condition. No other injuries were reported.
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Police said preliminary information indicates that the man had a .9mm “ghost gun" with an extended magazine. Such guns can be assembled from firearm kits and don't have serial numbers or other identifying information.
The suspect faces charges of aggravated and simple assault, reckless endangerment and a firearms count, police said.
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The officer wasn't named by Allentown police.
