Mark Little and Jaroe Perry Identified After Separate Allentown Shootings Leave Two Men Dead

 Allentown, Pennsylvania, was shaken Tuesday evening by two fatal shootings that unfolded in separate parts of the city barely more than an hour apart. The victims, Mark Little, 59, of Allentown, and Jaroe Perry, 41, of South Whitehall Township, were strangers to the circumstances that brought investigators to two different crime scenes that night across Allentown. Both men died from gunshot wounds, and authorities determined that each death was a homicide.

The first shooting was reported at approximately 6:50 p.m. in the 600 block of West Gordon Street. Officers arriving at the scene found Little suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, and he was pronounced dead there shortly afterward, according to police. Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio later identified the victim as Little and ruled his death a homicide. Investigators subsequently arrested Abdidahir Nieves, 39, of Allentown, in connection with Little’s death.

About 85 minutes later, another shooting was reported near South Front Street and East Cumberland Street. Responding officers found Perry suffering from gunshot wounds, and he was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The Lehigh County Coroner’s Office identified him as Perry and determined that his death was also a homicide. Police arrested Barrett Griggs, 39, of Schuylkill Haven, at the scene, according to local authorities.

The arrests placed two separate investigations into motion as detectives worked to determine what led to each shooting. Nieves is facing a homicide charge in connection with Little’s death, while Griggs faces charges of homicide and prohibited possession of a firearm in connection with Perry’s death. Authorities emphasized that the shootings were separate and unrelated, meaning the two cases are being investigated independently rather than as parts of a single connected incident.

For Little’s family and those who knew him in Allentown, the details emerging from West Gordon Street represent a sudden and painful loss. His death was officially classified as a homicide after police found him wounded at the first crime scene of the evening. While an arrest has been made, the investigation remains part of a broader legal process in which evidence and allegations will be examined through the courts. The circumstances surrounding the shooting have not been fully detailed publicly.

Perry’s death followed a different sequence, beginning with gunfire near South Front Street and East Cumberland Street before emergency responders transported him for medical treatment. Despite being taken to a hospital, he did not survive his injuries, and the coroner later ruled his death a homicide. Griggs was arrested at the scene and faces serious charges, but the case remains pending and the allegations against him have not been adjudicated in court.

The two killings also affected a city already confronting the consequences of violent crime in recent months. Authorities said the deaths brought Allentown’s reported homicide total for the year to the fourth and fifth, while the Office of Violence Prevention said it was working with public safety officials and community partners to support people affected by the shootings. Residents were urged not to retaliate and instead to look out for one another as investigators continued gathering evidence and working to establish the circumstances behind both deaths.

Mark Little and Jaroe Perry will now be remembered by their families, friends and communities as investigators continue pursuing answers in two separate homicide cases. Autopsies for both men were scheduled for Wednesday as authorities worked to document the deaths and advance their investigations. Behind the police reports and courtroom charges are two families facing the sudden loss of loved ones, and a community left to grieve while seeking peace after a violent evening.