Man celebrating his birthday fatally shot in dispute over DJ payment, PA official says
Three men with connections to a Venezuelan gang have been charged after a fatal gunfight broke out at a multiday party at a mountain rental in Pennsylvania, officials said.
Oscar Quilarque Sosa, Oswaldo Odin Solorzano Sosa and Josthin Landaeta Perez are each charged with homicide and two counts of attempted homicide in the January killing of Lionardo Hernandez Zarata, Monroe County District Attorney Mike Mancuso announced in a March 12 Facebook post.
Attorney information for the men was not available.
Police responded Jan. 12 to reports of a shooting at a house in the Poconos that 22-year-old Hernandez Zarata rented to celebrate his birthday, Mancuso said.
Officials said “the scene was full of spent shell casings and bullet holes” and showed evidence that many people left in a hurry, leaving Hernandez Zarata dead with multiple gunshot wounds.
“Suitcases were left in the driveway, cell phones, cash, Venezuelan identification cards, all left behind,” Mancuso said.
Two other men at the party were injured by gunfire, officials said.
Investigators said a disagreement over the DJ’s payment escalated into the deadly shootout, Lehigh Valley Live reported.
Hernandez Zarata hired Jesus Sosa to DJ the party. When Sosa said he wasn’t paid, he called his brothers, Oscar and Oswaldo Sosa, to confront him, the outlet reported.
Photos shared by Mancuso show Landaeta Perez was with the brothers.
The Sosa brothers and Hernandez Zarata had physical markings indicating their involvement in Tren de Aragua, WNEP reported, citing officials.
“Tren de Aragua is a transnational criminal organization that began as a prison gang in the Tocorón Prison in the state of Aragua in Venezuela,” Mancuso said.
Oscar Quilarque Sosa and Landaeta Perez are in custody, and Oswaldo Solozano Sosa remains at large, according to Mancuso. All three are Venezuelan nationals, officials said.
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 11:08 AM with the headline "Man celebrating his birthday fatally shot in dispute over DJ payment, PA official says."
