A man is going to prison after being sentenced in connection to a deadly shooting outside of an AutoZone in Allentown last year, according to officials with the District Attorney's Office.
28-year-old Joshua Ortiz, of Allentown, pleaded guilty to attempted murder in April for his role in the shooting incident, officials said.
Ortiz has been sentenced to seven years and three months to 15 years in state prison.
The shooting happened on June 4, 2023, in the AutoZone parking lot on the 1800 block of South 5th Street after one group of people allegedly targeted another group.
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A group of five people, that included Ortiz and his friend Edgar Gonzalez, was inside a sedan when they followed and threatened another group of people.
A physical altercation ultimately happened in the AutoZone parking lot where Ortiz started firing his handgun several times at the other group.
This is when a man, only identified as John Doe, came to offer a ride to the second group and fired back at Ortiz in self-defense, according to officials. Doe ultimately struck and killed Gonzalez.
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Doe was found to be in legal possession of his gun and justified in using deadly force, officials said. He does not face any charges.
Ortiz was also shot and treated for a gunshot wound at the time, officials said.
Allentown Police Detective Ariel E. Vidal and the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force investigated this incident.
