Man killed, another injured in Hazleton shooting..

[Gary in Pennsylvania]

http://www.timesleader.com/news/Man_...8-02-2009.html

Man killed, another injured in Hazleton shooting
By Jen Marckinijmarckini@timesleader.com
Staff Writer


HAZLETON – A 22-year-old city man has been charged in connection with an early morning shooting that left one man dead and another man injured outside a night club.


Police on Saturday arrested Johan M. Pujols and charged him with two felony counts of aggravated assault in the shooting of Luis A. Perez-Rodriguez in the parking lot of Club 570, Stockton Road, in Hazleton.

Pujols allegedly shot Perez-Rodriguez multiple times with a Bersa Firestorm .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun during a dispute outside of the bar around 3:20 a.m., police said.

A witness told police Pujols was attacked by at least three people, two of them being the shooting victims, before he produced the handgun and started shooting, the criminal complaint states.

Perez-Rodriguez is being treated for gunshot injuries to his leg and stomach and remains in intensive care at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township.

The name of the man who later died from a gunshot wound to his chest has not been released pending an autopsy, which is scheduled for this morning. No charges have been filed in connection to the shooting death.

Pujols suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his wrist.

Pujols, of 929 W. First St., was taken to his arraignment Saturday night in a wheelchair and hospital gown at District Judge Daniel O’Donnell’s office in Sugarloaf Township.

He is jailed at Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $75,000 straight bail.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 5 before District Judge Joseph D. Zola of Hazleton.

I wish they offered more details about the attack.

Was it a result of an all-involved hositlity that moved from iside the club to outside???

The way the story was written (without more detail) - sorta sounds a little like self-defense, eh???


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[US Militiaman]

The way the story was written (without more detail) - sorta sounds a little like self-defense, eh???

It does sound like self defense at this point...it will be interesting to see when more info comes out.

[knighthawk06699]

Damn, another idiot with a gun...great. How the hell is it the criminals can get .380 ammo but the rest of can't find it anywhere.

[tlgpa]

A witness told police Pujols was attacked by at least three people

Sure sounds like self defense. So what's missing?
A guy is attacked by three (or more) people, and he's the one in jail on $75,000 bail?

[adymond]

Damn, another idiot with a gun...great. How the hell is it the criminals can get .380 ammo but the rest of can't find it anywhere.

Why the rush to deem this guy a criminal and an idiot? From the news report:

A witness told police Pujols was attacked by at least three people, two of them being the shooting victims, before he produced the handgun and started shooting

Sounds at this point as though this man was in fear for his life and reacted appropriately.

Dear God I hope to hell I am never in an SD shooting and the report ends up on this board. People I would expect to at the VERY least make some sort of statement that we don't have all the details (after all how many times have we all seen if not suggested to STFU and lawyer up IMMEDIATELY after a shooting?) before we rush to judgment will be calling me a criminal and an idiot.

When will we stop with the whole "if you shoot someone outside a bar and are charged you must've done something wrong" bullshit?

[Gary in Pennsylvania]

How the hell is it the criminals can get .380 ammo but the rest of can't find it anywhere.

LOL!


And it looks like the 'little' .380 did its job, eh???


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[Gary in Pennsylvania]

Why the rush to deem this guy a criminal and an idiot? From the news report:


Sounds at this point as though this man was in fear for his life and reacted appropriately.

That's what I'm gettin' too.

BUT - Though we've seen CLEAR circumstances where LEO's have made mistakes or were not as familiar with gun law as they should be.....

Pujols was arrested and was likely STILL in cuffs when he made his wheelchair-bound court appearance.
I'm feelin' that there's more to this story than we're being told.

Now - If he was on drugs or had a record that disallowed him from possessing a firearm etc etc etc....those would be reasons for arrest - but that doesn't automatically mean HOMICIDE, does it?


THAT is what I want to know - what is it the led to the homicide charge???

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[tlgpa]

Damn, another idiot with a gun...great. How the hell is it the criminals can get .380 ammo but the rest of can't find it anywhere.

The man without the ammo [pot] calling the man with the ammo [kettle] an idiot [black]?

Seriously though, how have we established this man is an idiot?

[cgbudde]

too many conflicting stories, thanks to the substandard speaker.

Man charged in deadly Hazleton shooting
By SAM GALSKI (Staff Writer)
Published: August 2, 2009

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JAMIE PESOTINE / Standard-Speaker An injured Johan M. Pujols is wheeled out of his arraignment.


A Hazleton police officer stops traffic along the Club 40 Road, outside the Club 570 Restaurant on Saturday. (ELLEN O'CONNELL/Staff Photographer)



Lightbox link A Hazleton man allegedly connected to an early Saturday shooting that left one man dead and another injured at Club 570 on Club 40 Road was arraigned and jailed in lieu of $75,000 straight bail, investigators said.

Confined to a wheelchair, Johan M. Pujols, 22, of West First Street, was brought to District Judge Daniel O'Donnell's office in Sugarloaf on Saturday night and arraigned on charges linked to the 2 a.m. shooting.

He faces two felony counts of aggravated assault, but could potentially face more charges as police continue their investigation, according to Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney David Pedri.

Officials have not identified the man who was shot in the chest and killed when a fight broke out at the club, but Pedri said additional charges may be filed against Pujols pending an early-morning autopsy today and a coroner's report.

"We're not going to do anything with forensic charges until we hear from the coroner," Pedri said. "There's a potential for more charges."

Investigators wheeled Pujols into the courtroom, where he sat quietly while being arraigned before O'Donnell. One of his hands was heavily bandaged, and Pedri said investigators believe Pujols was injured by his own bullet.

Two women and two men attended the arraignment in support of Pujols, who apologized and said he was acting in self-defense as he was escorted to a police cruiser after the arraignment.

Hazleton police Detective James Dixon said in an affidavit of probable cause that the charges stem from a 2:32 a.m. report that police received from Hazleton General Hospital staff, who said multiple gunshot victims arrived seeking treatment.

City Patrolman Scott Nicholas, who was conducting a traffic stop at the time, learned from the driver that a shooting occurred at Club 570 and that the victims were taken to the hospital.

Several officers arrived at the club within a minute and police closed part of the road to preserve evidence.

Nicholas observed blood droplets in the middle of the parking lot, near where Club 570's lot meets with the road, the affidavit says. He followed a trail of droplets that went south along the road to the west berm, where they stopped, police said.

The officer also observed four empty .380-caliber casings near the berm where the blood droplets stopped, police said.

Nicholas headed to the hospital, which is less than a quarter mile from the club, and met with emergency department staff who told him an unidentified male sustained a gunshot would to the middle of his chest while a second man, identified as Luis Perez-Rodriguez, suffered a gunshot would to the leg and stomach, police said.

Pujols had been shot in the left wrist area, police said.

Perez-Rodriguez was taken to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township, where he underwent surgery and was being treated Saturday night in the intensive care unit, police said.

Police did not identify the man who was shot in the chest, and Pedri said that information would not be available until today at the earliest.

Nicholas was then directed to a waiting area at the hospital, where he met with Edwin Leon, who was with Pujols at the club.

Leon told police he went with Pujols to the hospital following the shooting and told police Pujols was in a fight with the two shooting victims, the affidavit says.

"Leon stated that at least three people attacked Pujols at which time Pujols produced a handgun and started shooting,:" Dixon wrote in the affidavit. "Leon stated that he and Pujols drove Pujols' car to the hospital and that the gun was still in the car."

Leon showed Nicholas the vehicle, a black Nissan Maxima, parked at the hospital lot, police said. Nicholas looked in the windows and saw a black handgun on the floor and in plain view near the passenger rear seat, the affidavit says.

Dixon arrived at the hospital at about 3:05 a.m. and attempted to interview Pujols, who had his left wrist bandaged, the affidavit says. Emergency room staff told Dixon that Pujols suffered a gunshot wound to the wrist and would soon be moved to the operating room.

Pujols told Dixon that he was arguing with some people at Club 570 and that the argument moved outside the club, where it became physical.

He told Dixon that he could not remember anything after that, the affidavit says.

After speaking with Pujols, Dixon was directed to the area where Perez-Rodriguez was being treated. Emergency staff found a bullet on the table where Perez-Rodriguez was being treated and Dixon asked the staff not to disturb the area until it was processed by police and the evidence secured.

Police also viewed video surveillance cameras at the hospital, which showed three vehicles pulling in at around 2:28 a.m., and several people running into the emergency room doorway and staff coming to assist.

Pujols was observed walking into the emergency room lobby holding his hand and he was directed to a wheelchair.

A second man walked into the lobby a few minutes later, with help from other men. He was identified at Perez-Rodriguez, the affidavit says.

In an interview with Pujols' father, police determined that he owns a pawn shop at Third and Alter streets, where he had access to firearms, police said.

On Saturday, police executed search warrants at Pujols' home and business. During a search of his vehicle, police observed a Bersa Firestorm .380 semi-automatic handgun on the rear passenger side floor. The gun had a magazine in the weapon, which had one loaded spare cartridge.

The handgun also had a loaded spare cartridge in the chamber, similar to cartridges recovered outside the club. The handgun also had blood on the slide and barrel and the driver's side rear seat, door, floor and rear seat were covered in blood, police said.

Police also searched the pawn shop, where they found a box for the handgun. The serial number on the box matched the number on the gun.

The firearm was licensed to Pujols.

Dixon requested high bail at the arraignment, citing the ongoing investigation, multiple injuries sustained during the incident and a mandatory five- to 10-year firearms sentence that Pujols could face.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, O'Donnell said.

sgalski@standardspeaker.com

[tlgpa]

Now - If he was on drugs or had a record that disallowed him from possessing a firearm etc etc etc....those would be reasons for arrest - but that doesn't automatically mean HOMICIDE, does it?

THAT is what I want to know - what is it the led to the homicide charge???

He's charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault. No homicide charges in the death.

Being on drugs, drunk, or illegal possession of a firearm would be different charges.