Central Pa. man faces gun charges after fight involving a dozen people outside restaurant

Shooting at Whitehall Township restaurant shuts MacArthur Road for hours, police say

Whitehall Township police investigate a shooting reported at 5:11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 27, 2020, at the Latest Food Trends restaurant at 1234 MacArthur Road.Mike Nester | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

A 24-year-old York man faces two charges tied to an incident in which two people were shot early Friday outside a Whitehall Township restaurant, police report.

Waldemar Medero Cora, of the 500 block of West Princess Street, can be seen on video surveillance holding a handgun during an altercation with about 12 people in the parking lot of Latest Food Trends on MacArthur Road, police said.

At 5:09 a.m., the dispute moves toward the front of the restaurant and in an attempt to fight one person, Medero Cora reengages with the group, police said. Medero Cora is assaulted, grabbed from behind and during the struggle, the gun fires into a vehicle, police said. Court papers do not say if anyone was wounded at that point.

Medero Cora was contained by the crowd but eventually got to a vehicle and left, police said.

Police responded two minutes later to a report of shots fired. Soon after, one shooting victim walked into Lehigh Valley Hospital at 17th Street in Allentown and another arrived at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township, police said. Police have not said how the people were shot. Both were expected to survive, police said.

Medero Cora was charged with person not to possess a firearm, because he has a 2018 felony aggravated assault conviction that doesn’t allow him to have firearms, and recklessly endangering another person, records show. He was arraigned Sunday afternoon before District Judge Karen C. Devine and housed in Lehigh County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail, with a 10% option, records say. He remained behind bars on Monday morning, records show.

His preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled 3 p.m. Dec. 18 before District Judge Todd P. Heffelfinger.

Court papers say Medero Cora is being represented by the Lehigh County Public Defender’s Office but don’t list a specific attorney.

The investigation is continuing. Police ask anyone with information on the shooting to contact Detective Derek Williams at dwilliams@whitehallpd.com or 610-437-3042, Ext. 249 or 204.

Tony Rhodin can be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com.

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