Two suspects have been charged in a fatal shooting of a 24-year-old man in his home in the 700 block of Lehman Street, according to the Lebanon City Police Department.
Mariam Saadoune, 20, Lebanon, was charged with involuntary manslaughter, discharging a firearm into an occupied structure, and recklessly endangering another person.
Guillen Fabian-Garcia, 25, of Lebanon, was charged with recklessly endangering another person.
"Both defendants turned themselves into the Lebanon City Police Department after being informed of the charges brought against them," police said in a release Thursday afternoon.
At 9:50 p.m. on April 10, police were dispatched to the Good Samaritan Hospital for a gunshot victim. Police said the victim, Hector Pomales-Torres, was struck with a single bullet.
An investigation by the Lebanon City Detective Division and the Lebanon County District Attorney's Office revealed prior to injury, the victim’s roommates, Saadoune and Fabian-Garcia, operated and manipulated their handgun.
"One roommate believed the gun was not loaded," The Lebanon County District Attorney's office said in a release Thursday. "She pointed the weapon at a closed door and pulled the trigger."
The gun fired a round that traveled through the residence and struck Pomales-Torres in the abdomen. Pomales-Torres cried for help and Garcia drove him to a local hospital.
"The victim ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased while at the hospital," police said in a news release Thursday afternoon.
The handgun was lawfully purchased and possessed by Garcia, according to officials. In the moments prior to the shooting, Garcia attempted to instruct Saadoune as to safe gun handling and manipulation.
"He allowed Defendant Saadoune to touch and operate the firearm; he allowed her to eject the loaded magazine and pull the trigger," the DA's office said. "The live round, still chambered, fired from the gun’s barrel which struck and killed the victim."
Both Saadoune and Fabian-Garcia have been cooperating with authorities, according to officials.
Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf said the charges in this case are not an indictment of lawful gun ownership, use, or possession.
"The charges are a reflection that anytime an individual holds a gun – he or she holds the ability to take a life," she said in the release. "Firearms should be treated with the utmost respect for that very reason. The gross negligence of these Defendants combined to fire a bullet into their own occupied home and kill their friend."
Calling the death of Pomales-Torres "the one mistake that can never be undone," Graf said the charges serve as a reminder for the community to always practice safe handling of weapons.
"Had these Defendants followed safe gun ownership, our victim would still be alive today," she said.
Saadoune is being held at the Lebanon County Correctional Facility, unable to make bail set at $100,000 as of Thursday afternoon. A preliminary hearing is scheduled before Lebanon County Magisterial Judge Maria Dissinger at 8 a.m. May 2.
Fabian-Garcia is also being held at the Lebanon County Correctional Facility, unable to make bail set at $20,000 as of Thursday afternoon. A preliminary hearing is scheduled before Lebanon County Magisterial Judge Maria Dissinger at 8 a.m. May 2.
This is a developing story. Please check back with the Lebanon Daily News for updates .
Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on X at @DAMattToth .
This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Two Lebanon residents charged in fatal shooting at Lehman Street home: police
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