Man charged in Walmart shooting
20-year-old Allentown woman killed Friday outside store
A 23-year-old Whitehall Township man was arrested Sunday morning in Friday’s double shooting outside a Walmart that left a woman dead and another person injured.
Edward Joel Rosario-Jimenez was charged with criminal homicide, attempted criminal homicide and aggravated assault; and carrying a firearm without a license. Rosario-Jimenez was charged early Sunday, according to a news release from Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin and Whitehall Township police Chief Michael Marks.
Nicollete Law, identified by Lehigh County Coroner Eric Minnich as Nicole Law of Allentown, died at 7:40 p.m. Friday at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest. The 20-year-old’s autopsy is scheduled for Monday. A second victim who was rushed to the hospital Friday remained publicly unidentified, and their status was unknown Sunday evening.
In a GoFundMe account created to pay for Law’s funeral, her family said Law was an innocent bystander whose life was taken senselessly. With donations from 42 people, the effort had raised $2,850 of its $5,000 goal at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
“Nicolette was the sweetest young lady ever, full of life and love. Nicolette loved to laugh and have fun,” the account read.
Law’s family could not be reached for comment Sunday evening.
Whitehall Township police responded at 6:55 p.m. Friday to a report of gunshots in the Walmart parking lot in the 2600 block of MacArthur Road.
Police found Law and the unidentified victim near a parked vehicle with the engine running. The Lehigh County
coroner’s office ruled Law’s death a homicide.
According to the news release:
Investigators obtained video surveillance footage from the store that showed the victims’ vehicle parking in the merchandise pickup lot.
Within a few minutes, a black sport utility vehicle parked directly in front of the vehicle.
A witness told police she had gone to the parking lot to pick up her child, who is also the child of one of the shooting victims.
The witness told police she arrived in the SUV with
Rosario-Jimenez and two other people, and that Rosario-Jimenez got into an argument with one of the victims.
The witness told police she heard gunshots and left in the SUV, but Rosario-Jimenez stayed behind in the parking lot.
Another witness told police they saw Rosario-Jimenez fire several gunshots at the victims.
Police later found a handgun hidden in a snowbank nearby.
Morning Call reporter Jennifer Sheehan can be reached at 610-820-6628 or jennifer. sheehan@mcall.com. Morning Call reporter Tom Shortell can be reached at 610-820-6168 or tshortell@mcall.com.