Store Owner is Charged in the Shooting Death of a 17-Year-Old Stealing his Vehicle

The owner of Sosa Food Market has been charged in the death of a 17-year-old male who was stealing a vehicle in Juniata Park on Sunday, March 7th.

The incident, which happened around 6:00 pm on Sunday evening, was caught on video surveillance. The 17-year-old male exited the vehicle in which he was a passenger on L Street at Lycoming Street, and he got into a vehicle that was parked at 4062 L Street. The keys were in the ignition and the engine was running. Video shows the driver making an immediate U-turn to follow the vehicle that he had just exited from.

That’s when police say Santiago Sosa-Alvarez, owner of Sosa Food Market, came out to the car that was being driven away and shot at the driver, striking him in the head. The vehicle rolled to a stop against a truck parked on the other side of the street. The shooting victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

On March 9th, police announced at the Juniata Park Civic Association that the 17-year-old died from his injuries. The decedent was previously described in reports as a 20-year-old, but police corrected his age. Sergeant Spicer of the 24th District lamented the tragedy that this is for two families.

The District Attorney’s Office Homicide Unit has charged Santiago Sosa-Alvarez with Third Degree Murder.