LANCASTER, Pa. — Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams announced on Oct. 22 that her office has filed charges against a 16-year-old suspect allegedly involved in last Sunday's shooting at the Park City Mall in Lancaster.
Jeremiahs Josiah-Alberto Sanchez, of the first block of Locust Street in Lancaster, is charged with two felony counts of criminal attempted homicide, three felony counts of aggravated assault, and 52 misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person, Adams said Friday morning in a press conference.
Sanchez will be charged as an adult in the incident, Adams said. He remains in the hospital, under police guard, while he receives treatment for gunshot wounds sustained in the incident and is awaiting arraignment on the charges against him.
An armed bystander who shot Sanchez during the incident, striking him in the elbow and hand, will not be charged, according to Adams.
The investigation determined the bystander was justified in firing at Sanchez, based on his belief that he and others were in danger of death or serious bodily injury, that multiple shots had already been fired, and that Sanchez was still armed, she said.
“It is very fortunate that more people were not hurt,” Adams said. “The armed civilian’s actions were not only justified under the law, but potentially and likely prevented others from serious injury or death.”
Adams said police interviewed dozens of witnesses and employees at the mall and viewed video footage of the incident, taken from surveillance cameras and footage shot by witnesses.
The initial investigation determined:
- The incident began when an 18-year-old man, identified as Elijah Deliz, saw Sanchez and three other subjects walking into the JCPenney wing of the mall.
- Deliz confronted Sanchez, which led to a physical altercation, with both subjects wrestling on the ground.
- The three people with Sanchez and another person with Deliz, identified as 30-year-old Sergio Vargas, also got involved in the altercation, which lasted about a minute and 15 seconds.
- Sanchez eventually became separated from Deliz. He withdrew a handgun from the waistband of his pants and fired two shots at Deliz and another subject involved in the altercation.
- One of the shots struck Deliz in the right thigh. The second shot struck a 30-year-old bystander who was walking in the mall, about 70 feet away from the incident. The woman was standing next to a child, Adams said. She was hit in the right arm. The shot then struck a window at a Sephora makeup store, shattering it. The woman was taken to Lancaster General Hospital for treatment.
- Sanchez was being grabbed from behind by Vargas while he was firing in the direction of Deliz. Surveillance footage determined there were 52 people in the line of fire, including children.
- Sanchez and Vargas continued fighting after Sanchez fired the shots.
- A 50-year-old bystander approached the area after hearing the initial gunfire. As he approached, he heard someone exclaim "I've been shot" and saw Sanchez and Vargas struggling on the ground.
- At this time, Sanchez fired a third shot, striking both himself and Vargas in the hand. The impact caused Vargas to roll off Sanchez.
- The round struck less than a foot from where the bystander was standing. The bystander then withdrew a handgun, which he was licensed to carry, and discharged three rounds at Sanchez, striking him in the elbow and hand. This caused Sanchez to cease his actions and drop his gun.
- The bystander approached Sanchez, kicked Sanchez's gun out of reach, and held him at gunpoint until authorities arrived. The bystander allowed other people to render aid to Sanchez while waiting for authorities to secure the scene.
- Sanchez is legally prohibited from owning a firearm due to a 2017 adjudication for robbery and a 2018 adjudication for multiple firearms charges.
- The firearm Sanchez was carrying, a Glock 17, had been reported stolen out of Lebanon County.
Lancaster City Police said the investigation is ongoing to determine what initially led to the altercation.
Vargas, Deliz, and the actions of the other subjects allegedly involved in the physical altercation remain under investigation, Adams said.
“Gun violence anywhere is unacceptable, but it is particularly unnerving when it happens on a Sunday afternoon in a crowded shopping mall filled with vulnerable children, families and seniors,” Adams said. “It is equally disturbing that the shooter was a 16-year-old juvenile who was armed with a stolen gun. This entire incident that led to the safety of innocent civilians being put in danger is simply outrageous and we are committed to seeing justice is served.”