Crime & Safety

DA: Fatal Shooting Near Rose Garden Was Not Random

Ian Juma died of gunshot wound suffered Saturday night in West Bethlehem, coroner says.

The shooting death of a man on a tree-lined street in West Bethlehem on Saturday night was not random, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin.

“In my opinion, this does not appear to be a random shooting and we are satisfied it is not,” Martin said through a spokeswoman on Monday.

Law enforcement officials have had little else to say on the death of Ian Juma, 21, 3117 East Boulevard in northeast Bethlehem.

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A gunshot wound was the cause of death, according to Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim, who performed an autopsy on Monday. He had previously ruled the death a homicide.

Juma was shot at the rear of 944 Eighth Ave., a picturesque corner property between two entrances to Route 378. There is an alley directly behind the property—Garden Street—that runs south from tree-lined Lyons Street.

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The shooting happened at about 10:20 p.m. and Juma was pronounced dead at St. Luke’s University Hospital about two hours later.

Juma’s family moved to Bethlehem from Kenya when he was in grade school and Juma graduated from Liberty High School in 2011, according to a family friend who was quoted by The Morning Call.

Juma is survived by a 2-year-old son, Denzel, and longtime girlfriend, Jasmine Brown, the newspaper reported.

Juma is the third homicide victim in the city this year.

Joseph Rodriguez, 25, of South Bethlehem, was shot in the head on June 2 during a fight among multiple people in the Lynfield section of the city. Lucas Cabassa, 17, turned himself in on homicide charges on June 4.

Tyree Wimberly, 21, of Allentown was gunned down Jan. 26 as he walked past Scoobie's Gentleman's Club, which sits at the border between Allentown and Bethlehem at 2327 Hanover Ave.

Police continue to search for suspect Ulysses "Slime" Rodriguez, 20, in that shooting.

 


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