A pizza delivery driver lured to a robbery and then shot in the face in East Stroudsburg has died.
Richard LaBar (Photo courtesy of LaBar's family)
Richard LaBar, 58, a driver for Domino's Pizza, was shot early Monday morning in the 400 block of Normal Street on the east side of East Stroudsburg University's campus, authorities said.
The Monroe County District Attorney's Office said LaBar's delivery was a set up for a robbery. The address is used by the university to house Army recruits, but it was empty at the time.
After a brief struggle with 17-year-old Israel Berrios, LaBar was knocked to the ground and shot with a .410 gauge shotgun, prosecutors said.
LaBar was rushed to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono, then transferred to the hospital's Cedar Crest location and put on life support. After multiple tests determined there was no brain activity, LaBar's family decided to turn off the life support, prosecutors said.
He was pronounced dead at 9:05 p.m. Tuesday at the hospital, the Lehigh County coroner's office said.
An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday; the manner of death is homicide, the coroner's office said.
The shooting is being investigated by the coroner's office and Pennsylvania State Police.
In addition to Berrios, also charged are his 30-year-old girlfriend Carolina Carmona and her brother Salvador Roberts Jr., 21, all of East Stroudsburg. Berrios and Carmona live at the same address in the 400 block of Hill Street, according to court records.
Prosecutors said a Stroud Area Regional police officer proved crucial to the quick arrest of the suspects.
While at the shooting scene, officer Terry Eilber spotted a taxi driving toward the Hill Street address where Berrios lives. Berrios was a suspect in several incidents, police said, including the Nov. 12th attempted robbery of pizza delivery person, police said.
Eilber called the taxi company and confirmed it was dispatched to Berrios' address, and that it picked up a male and a female, police said. The riders asked the driver about the shooting, police said.
The driver reported taking the pair to South Courtland Street, and that the male got out with a bag in his hand, was gone for several minutes, then got back into the cab with the bag, troopers said.
The driver said he brought the pair back to Berrios and Carmona's address at about 3:11 a.m.
In interviews with state police, Berrios and Carmona reportedly admitted to planning the robbery and using Roberts as a getaway driver.
Berrios, who was interviewed with his grandmother present, initially claimed being home all night, but was confronted with the cab information and surveillance video showing him and two others leaving the address right before the shooting, troopers said.
Carmona called Domino's using a cellphone app, and arranged for the delivery at the empty address, state police said.
Roberts drove the pair to the address and parked down the block, troopers said. When LaBar arrived, Carmona was standing outside, and Berrios was nearby hiding in the bushes, state police said.
Berrios said he came out from the bushes with the sawed-off shotgun pointed at the driver, and demanded money, according to state police. Berrios claimed the victim denied having money and tried to grab the shotgun, and that they struggled before Berrios shot LaBar, knocking him to the ground.
Carmona reportedly told police the two struggled, but that LaBar was knocked to the ground first, and then Berrios shot him.
Berrios assumed LaBar was dead, and took a bag with $100 cash from LaBar, state police said. The pair fled to Roberts' car, and he drove away.
Berrios allegedly dumped the shotgun in the woods near a CVS near South Courtland Street, unknowingly dropping the stolen cash, and the trio went back to get the cash, then to an Exxon station. State police said they bought gas, cigarettes and a cigar for a blunt, and Berrios and Carmona were dropped off at their house.
Carmona told troopers she and Berrios smoked pot, had sex, took a shower together and then took a cab to get the shotgun, state police said.
Prosecutors said investigators found the shotgun in the master bedroom at Berrios and Carmona's address, as well as ammunition, a pair of sneakers with treads that matched footprints in the snow at the crime scene, and a pair of women's sneakers with what appeared to be pizza residue on them.
A fundraising website has been set up for LaBar's family. Lambda Iota, an East Stroudsburg sorority, also set up a website to raise money for LaBar's medical bills and holiday-related expenses for his family.
Tony Rhodin and Rudy Miller contributed to this report.
Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.