ALLENTOWN, Jan. 4 — State Rep. Joshua Siegel, D-Lehigh, released the following statement today regarding the shootings that occurred in Allentown the weekend before New Year’s:

“I commend the swift and decisive action of Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan, the Allentown Police Department, and our state and federal law enforcement partners in quickly identifying a suspect in the tragic and senseless murder of two Allentonians. We owe them a debt of gratitude for once more ensuring that violence in our streets will neither be tolerated nor go without the harshest possible punishment and response.

“This was a particularly heinous crime, and the suspect in question not only murdered a grandmother and child but attempted to murder a second child. The speed and determination of our law enforcement community sends a strong message to those who would seek to deprive our community of safety and security, that Allentown and Lehigh County will not surrender its streets and communities to murderers and violence.

“I further commend the Allentown Police Department’s continued commitment to community engagement, which has helped create trust within our neighborhoods and resulted in the public providing information instrumental in identifying the suspect. It demonstrates that when the community comes forward, there is both justice and accountability, and that public safety requires public faith in our system of justice to remove violence from our streets.

“We must take from this moment of grief, a renewed sense of urgency to eradicate gun violence in our community; one life lost is too many, one less child in our community is too much to bear, and one more family made less whole is all our loss. We have more work to do together.”

 

Information provided to TVL by:
Mike Herzing