Family members still asking for support for teen, 2 boys killed N. 5th Street shooting
Tatiana Perez, the sister of Joshua Lugo-Perez, described her brother as humble and always in contact with his family, someone who never bothered anyone.
“When someone needed his help, he was always there,” she said, translated from Spanish. “For anyone.”
Perez briefly lived in Lebanon but now lives in Puerto Rico. Lugo-Perez was supposed to be visiting family in Puerto Rico for his birthday on June 19. But he decided to stay to make extra money so he could travel.
“He was supposed to be gone a long time ago, but he decided to stay for a little longer.”
On May 30, Lugo-Perez, along with 9-year-old Sebastian Perez-Salome and 8-year-old Jesus Perez-Salome, were shot and killed by three assailants outside of their home in the 400 Block of N. 5th Street.
Now instead of making money to head home, members of Lugo's family are requesting funds to help him be finally laid to rest in Puerto Rico. A GoFundMe page was set up raising $5,499 by Thursday morning.
“We’re suffering the loss of our brother,” Perez said. “Our mother is devastated.”
Alex Torres-Santos, 22, and James Fernandez-Reyes, 16, were arrested May 31 after the Lebanon County SWAT team executed a search warrant on the 400 block of N. 9th Street. Police believe Lugo was the target of the gunfire, with Lebanon Police Chief Bret Fisher saying Thursday that the shooting was "the result of a past argument."
Ivan Claudio-Rosero, 27, a third shooter, was arrested in a public area in North Philadelphia Tuesday after a week-long manhunt for him conducted by local law enforcement, Pennsylvania State Police and United States Marshal's Fugitive Task Force.
Rosero's girlfriend, Tiffany Koziara, 34, has been charged with hindering apprehension of Claudio-Rosero in connection with the homicides. Police have charged her with knowingly providing false information to investigators as to her contact with Rosero and his whereabouts on June 3, 2023.
Claudio-Rosero: Two more suspects arrested in Lebanon triple homicide case
Triple homicide: Third suspect sought in Lebanon fatal shooting of two boys and teen
A GoFundMe page was set up for the Perez-Salome brothers, with family members asking residents for help sending them to their home town in Villalba, Puerto Rico. However the organizers disabled new donations for this fundraiser over the weekend, raising $15,313.
Louis Cancel, 33, of Lebanon, was hit in the next-door residence by a stray bullet during the May 30 shooting. Members of his family have set up a GoFundMe account looking for funds for hospital bills and expenses he'll need while he recuperates, which has made $1,780 as of Thursday morning.
"Mr. Cancel, fingers-crossed, will be home from the hospital relatively soon," Lebanon District Attorney Pier Hess Graf said at a press conference Wednesday. "But he is recovering. He is able to speak to us. He is, for all intents and purposes, doing as well as can be."
Torres-Santos, Claudio-Rosero and Fernandez-Reyes have been charged with three counts of criminal homicide, conspiracy to commit homicide, along with various gun-related offenses. Torres-Santos and Fernandez-Reyes also were charged with one count of aggravated assault for Cancel.
The district attorney's office will be seeking the death penalty against Torres-Santos and Claudio-Rosero for the fatal shooting shooting. Fernandez-Reyes is not eligible for the death penalty because of his age, according to Graf.
"I have tried more homicide cases in the last year an a half than we had done in the eight years prior to when I took office," Graf said. "Every one is a first-degree conviction and every one is life imprisonment, and it's not enough. ... When I looked at this, and you stare at the body of a dead child, enough is enough."
Death penalty: Lebanon DA seeks death penalty against Torres-Santos in homicide of two boys and teen
Shooting protest: 20 protest lowering of bail for triple homicide suspect at District Judge Figueroa's office
Before being arrested May 31, Torres-Santos was on house arrest on bail for two separate incidents, which included violent behavior with firearms. Santos was ordered to wear a house-arrest bracelet. Officials said he wore the bracelet to the shooting, according to Lebanon County Probation Services.
Police located multiple .223 rifle rounds and 9mm shell casings that showed at least 27 gunshots fired at the North 5th Street home May 30. Officials said these shots came from two different caliber firearms.
A search of Torres-Santos' and Fernandez-Reyes' residence May 31 revealed multiple firearms, including an AR-15 and a secondary weapon, which officials said was consistent with the shell casings located at the scene.
Preliminary hearing
In his preliminary hearing Thursday morning, Fernandez-Reyes' was granted a 30-day continuance as he obtained proper legal counsel. Torres-Santos and Claudio-Rosero's attorney's will have to be "death penalty qualified," according to Graf.
"So the court's going to have to figure out who those are, who they can actually hire and appoint, and make sure those attorneys do not have conflicts with one another," she said.
Torres-Santos, Claudio-Rosero and Fernandez-Reyes are being held without bail at the Lebanon County Correctional Facility.
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.
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.
Daniel Larlham Jr. is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him atDLarlham@LDNews.com or on Twitter @djlarlham
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: Family members still asking for support for victims of triple homicide
