The 34-year-old man charged with attempted murder in a Wednesday morning shooting on Broad Street in Bethlehem surrendered to police, saying he was defending himself from a man who threatened his life on social media, according to court documents.
Roberto Armando Vadillo, of the 200 block of South West Street in Allentown, faces charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, reckless endangerment and carrying a gun without a license. He’s being held in Northampton County Jail under $250,000 bail.
Vadillo is accused of wounding Giovanni Guridy in a 6:51 a.m. shooting at Broad and Center streets near the 7-Eleven store in Bethlehem. Guridy, the son of Allentown Councilperson Julio Guridy, was shot in the arm and is expected to survive , police say. Reached Thursday morning, Julio Guridy declined to talk further about the incident.
According to court records:
Bethlehem police received multiple calls for a shooting at the 7-Eleven store and found Guridy wounded on the sidewalk in front of the store, his arm bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds. Police say a 33-year-old woman was standing next to him, crying. She told authorities that she had a protection from abuse order against Guridy and was friends with Vadillo, who had been arguing with Guridy prior to the shooting.
Vadillo contacted Bethlehem police at 8:13 a.m. to turn himself in. He told authorities that the gun used in the crime was inside his vehicle, parked in Allentown.
During his interview with police, Vadillo said he received multiple threats from Guridy through social media. He said he spent Tuesday evening in Bethlehem with the woman police found with Guridy.
When Vadillo left the home on Maple Street in the morning, he said he saw Guridy’s car parked across the street. He knew the woman had a protection from abuse order against Guridy.
Vadillo was driving away when he heard Guridy yelling at him, “I am going to get you! I told you I will run into you!”
Vadillo was stopped at the traffic light at Broad and Center when he saw Guridy exit his car and start walking toward Vadillo. That’s when Vadillo said he grabbed his 9 mm handgun from his glove compartment and loaded it with ammunition he kept in his rear passenger center console.
He said he saw Guridy carrying something in his hand and said the man began pulling on Vadillo’s driver’s-side door. Vadillo opened fire, striking Guridy, and then drove away.
Bethlehem police were able to find a doorbell camera that caught the entire interaction on video. In it, Guridy’s vehicle pulls behind Vadillo at the stoplight, Guridy exits and walks toward Vadillo’s car and about three seconds later about five gunshots ring out.
Video footage shows Guridy running, injured, to the front of the 7-Eleven store.
