A 24-year-old man was being held without bail Sunday after police allege he deliberately drove a car into a crowd at a Pennsylvania fundraiser, killing one woman and injuring 17 people, before allegedly hitting the his mother and kill her with a paw. hammer in a neighboring town.
Pennsylvania State Police identified the suspect early Sunday as Adrian Oswaldo Sura Reyes after he was arraigned on two counts of criminal homicide.
A motive is under investigation in the two unrelated fatal incidents.
The back-to-back deadly episodes unfolded Saturday evening when Reyes allegedly drove a car into a crowd of people gathered at a Pennsylvania bar to support victims of a recent deadly fire, state police said.
Geisinger Hospital confirmed in a statement that it was treating more than 15 patients, including four in critical condition.
Adrian Oswaldo Sura Reyes, who is a suspect in a fatal accident and a homicide, is escorted by state police officers from their station in Shickshinny after his arrest in Berwick, Pa., on August 14 2022.
WNEP via Reuters
State police were called to the area near the Berwick Department of Toxicology bar around 6:15 p.m. Saturday, Pennsylvania State Trooper Anthony Petroski told reporters.
Police said a vehicle “drove through a crowd at a community event.”
Officers then received a call about a man allegedly assaulting a woman in the neighboring town of Nescopeck, Petroski said. He said officers arrived to find a woman dead at the scene. Officers arrested Reyes, who they said was a suspect in both incidents, police said.
The Luzerne County Coroner’s Office identified the Nescopeck shooting victim as Rosa Reyes, 56, and ruled her death a homicide after an autopsy showed she died from being hit by a vehicle and assaulted with a hammer.
The coroner’s office told ABC News that Rosa Reyes is the suspect’s mother.
The name of the person killed in the alleged attack in Berwick has not been released.
“These investigations are very active,” police said in a statement.
Reliance Fire Company No. 1, which serves Berwick, said Crews responded to the scene of a “mass casualty incident” at the bar on Saturday evening.
The bar was hosting a benefit for families affected by a deadly house fire in Nescopeck earlier this month. Ten people, including three children, died in the fire on August 5, while three adults were able to get out safely. The causes of the fire, which destroyed the home, are still being investigated.
The restaurant where Saturday’s fundraiser was held released a statement on its Facebook page.
“Today has been an absolute tragedy. We will be closed until further notice. Please respect our privacy as we grieve and try to process the events that have occurred. Thank you,” it said. to read.
ABC News’ Darren J. Reynolds contributed to this report.
