Keith Herbert Of The Morning Call
March 13, 2001, Tuesday Fifth Edition
Copyright 2001 The Morning Call, Inc.
The Morning Call (Allentown)
March 13, 2001, Tuesday Fifth Edition
(ALLENTOWN, Penn.) -- A 19-year-old man on work release from Lehigh County Prison was charged Monday with shooting two people Friday afternoon on a center-city street corner, authorities said.
Clifford Oduardo, whose last known address is 724 Gordon St., was charged with attempted homicide, using a handgun in a crime, three counts each of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment and two counts of simple assault.
Allentown District Justice Richard Gatti arraigned Oduardo and set bail at $100,000. Oduardo didn’t post bail and was taken back to prison.
Oduardo fired shots that hit Eric G. Triminio, 19, in the abdomen and grazed Christian Febus, 17, in the foot, police said. A 14-year-old boy had a bullet pass through his pants leg.
Detectives interviewed Triminio at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salisbury Township, and he identified Oduardo as the gunman, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed with arrest papers.
Triminio said he and Oduardo had fought earlier, but the arrest papers didn’t include details.
Police recovered five 9 mm shell casings from the scene, the affidavit says.
The gunfire erupted about 4:15 p.m. Friday in the 600 block of N. Penn Street. Triminio, Febus and the boy were on the northwest corner when a man appeared, fired the shots and ran, a witness said.
Oduardo wore a gray sweatshirt, white shorts and basketball sneakers Monday. He sat shackled in Gatti’s courtroom and answered “Yes, sir” when asked if he understood the charges.
Allentown police arrested Oduardo in February 2000 on charges of criminal conspiracy, possession of cocaine and possession with intent to deliver cocaine, according to court records.
He pleaded guilty to conspiracy, was sentenced to 12 to 36 months in the county prison and was granted work release.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Monday.