Crime News

Police: Man Shot Himself, Then Lied About It

South Bethlehem man told cops that he was shot fending off a robbery, but later admitted that the gun he was carrying in his waistband fired accidentally, police say.

  A South Bethlehem man who accidentally shot himself in the thigh, then lied about the incident to police has been arrested on weapons charges and other counts, according to court records. David Hernandez, 19, of 1543 E. Eighth St., shot himself when the small-caliber pistol he was carrying in the elastic waistband of his basketball shorts began to slip out and he grabbed for the weapon and caused it to fire, the arrest warrant says. Initially, Hernandez told police he was wounded when he scuffled with a robber who pulled a gun on him. At 19, Hernandez is not allowed to have a handgun, nor does he have a permit to carry a concealed weapon, the affidavit says. According to court records: Hernandez was arrested Friday and charged with …

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Council Hears About Gun Fired at City Hall

City legislators will decide whether to fire Police Officer Jeffrey Rogers, who is accused of firing weapon accidentally in locker room, concealing the mistake and then lying about it.

After a single gunshot was heard at Bethlehem Police Headquarters at 9:40 a.m. on December 30, a contingent of officers spent an anxious 20 minutes combing through their own corridors and part of City Hall looking for a shooter or a victim. According to testimony at a City Council hearing on Monday night, Officer Ken Jones and several other officers drew weapons as they checked men’s and women’s locker rooms and offices off the main corridor at police headquarters; Sgt. Paul Feliceangeli readied a rifle in case officers had to deal with a perpetrator at long range. Among those participating in the search and security in the early minutes after the shot was Officer Jeffrey Rogers, who department officials accuse of accidentally firing the …

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Daryl Nerl

1:26 pm on Tuesday, October 18, 2011

I'm guessing that's true, Dana. It would seem to me there is very little chance of Rogers winning this case when he didn't show up for his own termination hearing. It's also true that only the four council members present will be able to vote on his fate.   more ›