Law Enforcement Today
MONROE COUNTY, PA – On Sunday, January 12th, a 22-year-old man was killed, and two others were injured after advertising for his birthday party at a short-term rental home, attracting the attention of a Venezuelan street gang.
According to authorities, Monroe County District Attorney Mike Mancuso shared additional details regarding the case. He explained that the gunfire resulted from the gang arriving at the party held “deep in the heart of the Emerald Lakes subdivision” on Clover Road in Long Pond.
The violent gang, known as Tren de Aragua (TdA), has been classified by the federal government as a transnational criminal organization. This gang started as a prison gang in Tocorón Prison in Venezuela. Over the past six years, its leader has expanded its criminal network throughout South America, into Central America, and now the United States.
The Pocono Mountain Regional police were notified of the incident at 4:40 p.m. on January 12th after 22-year-old Lionardo Hernandez promoted the party with a flyer featuring his photo. Hernandez, originally from Venezuela, was found alone at the property with multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene by the Monroe County coroner’s office.
Mondays 17th, Monroe County Coroner Tom Yanac confirmed that the manner of death was a homicide, although the cause was still pending. Authorities reported that two other individuals, 23-year-old Johangel Farfan and a 25-year-old, both from Venezuela, were discovered with gunshot wounds. They were transported to the hospital where they are currently in stable condition.
Mancuso reported, “The scene was full of spent shell casings and bullet holes. It was apparent that several different calibers of ammunition were used.” Evidence of the chaos was evident throughout the home, with suitcases left in the driveway and belongings like cellphones, cash, and Venezuelan identification cards abandoned. Investigators also seized significant amounts of drugs and paraphernalia.
Police noted that while investigating the shooting, they became aware of a concurrent attempted home burglary in the vicinity of Mohegan Court, not far from Clover Road. Following footprints in the snow, they discovered a second attempted break-in. Continued pursuit led to the identification of a third home that had also been broken into. At that location, authorities apprehended two men, 26-year-old Victor Cesar Caldera Malpica and 34-year-old Angel Paez-Seguera, who are now connected to the Clover Road incident. In total, five others believed to be from Venezuela have also been taken into custody.
In a separate incident that day, one person was killed and another injured during a fight at a birthday party in Harnett County, North Carolina. Deputies from the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a shooting along Nutgrass Road in Bunnlevel. Upon arrival, officials discovered a man, later identified as 26-year-old Marquis Shamond Woodson, lying on the ground. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities indicated that between 75 and 100 individuals were attending the birthday celebration. Sheriff Wayne Coats stated, “There was a disturbance among several individuals present, and as a result of the altercation, two individuals were shot.” The second injured party received medical attention for non-life-threatening injuries and is currently stable.
Deputies are encouraging anyone with information related to the shooting to come forward and assist with the investigation.
