The two men charged in a shootout that left two dead and another wounded on Pear Street were committed to Berks County Prison without bail following arraignment early Tuesday before Senior District Judge Gloria W. Stitzel in Reading Central Court.
Cousins Wilfredo Rodriguez-Claudio, 19, of the 700 block of North Ninth Street and Juan C. Claudio, 28, of the 900 block of Scott Street were charged with first- and third-degree murder, attempted homicide and related offenses in the Friday night shooting deaths of Geovanie Collazo-Rosa, 23, and Efrain Lopez-Collazo, 51, and the shooting of Enrique Lopez-Collazo.
The three victims lived on the other side of the 300 block of Pear Street from relatives of the gunmen, investigators said. Police said the slayings followed a feud between the two families.
According to investigators:
The dispute started about two weeks ago when someone looked at someone else's girlfriend and danced with her during a gathering at a house in the block. When her boyfriend later found out what happened he confronted the neighbors. The dispute escalated and ended in the shootings.
It came to a head Friday shortly before midnight as people from both families argued in the street.
Juan Claudio was on the front porch of a house in the block and fired a large revolver into the street until he ran out of bullets. At the same time, his cousin, Rodriguez-Claudio, was on the second floor of the house firing a shotgun at the people across the street.
Geovanie Collazo-Rosa, who lived across the street, was shot and collapsed dead in the street.
The man's father, Efrain Lopez-Collazo, who also lived across the street and left his house to check on Collazo-Rosa, was shot in the torso and collapsed on the sidewalk.
He was taken by ambulance to Reading Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Enrique Lopez-Collazo was also shot. Police found him walking in the neighborhood. He was taken to Reading Hospital and has since been released. His age was unavailable.
He was related to the two other victims.
Witnesses reported seeing the gunmen firing and saw Rodriguez-Claudio later exit the house holding a shotgun. He fled in a vehicle.
Both of the gunmen have criminal records, investigators said.
Police said an investigation is continuing.
Copyright 2012 - Reading Eagle, Pa.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
