Man hurt in double shooting dies

A second person has died following a double shooting late last month outside the Walmart in Whitehall Township in what was a planned child custody exchange that turned violent.

Jonathan Martinez, 22, of Allentown was pronounced dead at 1:30 a.m. Sunday at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, the Lehigh County coroner’s office said. Martinez was shot in the incident that occurred about 6:55 p.m. Feb. 26 at 2601 MacArthur Road.

The coroner’s office said an autopsy will be performed at a later date to determine the cause of death. Martinez’s death was ruled a homicide.

Nicolette Law, a 20-yearold from Allentown, also was killed in the shooting. She was pronounced dead at 7:40 p.m. Feb. 26. To mourn her, more than 40 people gathered Tuesday night in the Walmart parking lot in Whitehall, clutching pink and light blue balloons and remembering Law as a helpful person who aspired to be a nurse.

Police say the shooter was a 23-year-old Whitehall Township man.

Edward Joel Rosario-Jimenez was charged Feb. 28 with criminal homicide, attempted criminal homicide, aggravated assault and carrying a firearm without a license. He is in Lehigh County Jail without bail, according to court records.

In the planned custody exchange, Rosario-Jimenez arrived with the child’s mother, according to police. Authorities said an argument broke out in the parking lot, which is when Rosario-Jimenez shot Law and the child’s father, Martinez.

In addition to the coroner’s office, Martinez’s death is being investigated by Whitehall Township police, the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force and the Lehigh County district attorney.

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