ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Authorities on Monday identified the 25-year-old man shot to death early Saturday night at Fountain Park off Martin Luther King Drive in the city.
Angel Martinez-Velez, of Allentown, was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:17 p.m., according to Lehigh County Coroner Dan Buglio.
Buglio ruled the death a homicide.
There has been no word from Allentown police of any suspects or arrests.
Sunday morning, Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk released a statement in which he called the incident “a terrible and preventable act of violence.”
“Our parks are our havens and some hateful individuals tried to take that away from us,” the statement continued.
“Our police will work with our community to hold those people accountable while we all begin the healing process to restore our peace. Someone lost a son, and our community needs time to grieve.
"Acts like this will not disrupt the progress toward a safer, cleaner, and healthier Allentown. We are committed to addressing the systems that allow violence to occur, with a focus on creating economic opportunity and promoting positive social engagement.
"I encourage everyone to do their part so that our young people can be active in our parks — free of fear — and able to enjoy the summer."
State Rep. Josh Siegel also weighed in, calling Allentown's parks "a place for our families and community" and "the crown jewels of the Queen City."
"We will not surrender them or any part of our great city to thoughtless and senseless violence or the cowards or who perpetrate it," his statement said.
"Our police and district attorney are swift, effective, and tireless in their pursuit of justice, they’ve shown time and time again those who commit violence have no place to hide.
"Criminals should make no mistake; Allentown is no place to commit crimes of any nature. Safety is the right of all our citizens, and I have full faith in law enforcement and the DA’s office power to ensure it."
The Allentown Police Department, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office and the district attorney’s Homicide Task Force are investigating.
Police ask that anyone with information or video contact the police department’s criminal investigation division at 610-437-7721 or submit a tip using the Tip411 app on the police department's website.
