SCRANTON, Pa. — According to the Lackawanna County District Attorney's office, Monday morning's deadly shooting along Pittston Avenue is the fourth homicide in the city this year.
Another instance of what residents say is increased violence being seen throughout Scranton.
"My neighbors, my wife, and other people don't feel safe," said Virgil Argenta, Scranton.
According to online statistics, from 2019 to 2022, only four homicides occurred within city limits.
Now, those numbers have been matched in only four months, leaving residents like Virgil Argenta and Marc Pane wondering what the rest of the year will bring.
"There's no words for it, especially growing up here. It's just not the Scranton that we've come from," said Argenta.
"I mean, I'm almost 60 years old now, I'm 6 foot 2 three hundred pounds, I carry a gun, and there are places in the city I won't walk in at night alone," said Marc Payne, Scranton.
Newswatch 16 did reach out to Mayor Paige Cognetti's office about the increased violence in the city but did not get a response.
"I think the calls are becoming more alarming; they are too frequent, they are too common, and the nature of the calls are more severe," said
This most recent killing in Scranton has only motivated Mike Mancini and others to work towards forming a neighborhood watch group to hopefully help police and make the city a place where people can feel safe again.
"It's something that needs to be addressed before it gets much worse, and as a community, if we come together, we help the police department, the police department can help us even further, and that goes a long way," said Michael Mancini, Scranton.
Carlos Rivera is in police custody awaiting arraignment, facing a slew of charges, including first-degree murder.
Police say he shot his brother Walter Reyes to death in a dispute that began over a woman.