A Lancaster man will face charges of criminal homicide, prohibited possession of a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license, and possessing a firearm with an altered manufacturer number in the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas following a preliminary hearing Monday morning in the Lancaster County Courthouse before Magisterial District Judge Bruce A. Roth.

Judge Roth held over the charges against Edwin Concepcion, 22-years-old with a listed address as the first block of Hampton Lane, after determining the evidence presented by the prosecution was sufficient.

Concepcion is charged with shooting and killing 68-year-old Israel Lugo on May 1, 2023, around 2 p.m. near the corner of W. New St. and N. Market St.

Assistant District Attorney Caitlin Blazier presented testimony from Lancaster City Bureau of Police Detectives Adam Flurry – the lead investigator and affiant – and Jessica Higgins.

According to the detectives’ testimony, the victim was found lying on the street in broad daylight with multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead after being transported to Lancaster General Hospital.

Lancaster County Coroner’s Office determined the cause of death to be gunshot wounds to the body and manner to be homicide following an autopsy conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Wayne Ross on May 2, 2023. The victim was struck in the neck, chest, and twice in the forearm.

Detectives retrieved video footage from homes, businesses, and the Lancaster Safety Coalition from the time and date of the homicide.

The defendant can be seen following the victim before each go out of any camera's view for approximately a minute after walking into the parking lot of 22 W. Clay St. from different entrances.

Video evidence then shows the victim walking out toward W. New St. and the defendant follows. According to testimony, the defendant then manipulated an object with his arm before the victim fell to the ground. The defendant and victim were the only two in the area at this time. The defendant then runs from the scene and video footage captured the clothes he was wearing and him holding a black semiautomatic handgun.

The defendant then entered a vehicle from the rideshare service Lyft in the first block of W. James St. which transported him to the area of S. Queen St. and W. Andrew St. Interviews with the Lyft driver and a search warrant on Lyft confirmed the route taken and information of the customer, which included a phone number, email, and debit card associated with Concepcion.

Further investigation revealed Concepcion was on probation and provided the same number to Lancaster County Adult Probation and Parole that was used to call the Lyft ride. Lancaster City Police conducted surveillance at a home in the 300 block of S. Queen St. – where Concepcion was currently residing – before he was arrested around 7:16 p.m. on May 2, 2023, after he exited the residence.

Evidence recovered during a subsequent search warrant on the defendant’s residence included:

• A black Springfield XD 9 mm handgun located in a vent with seven of 11 possible rounds loaded and an obliterated serial number.
• Clothes matching those worn by the defendant during the homicide.
• A black cell phone matching the one used by the defendant after the homicide.
• A debit card matching the one used for the Lyft ride.

Testimony also revealed:

• Fingerprints tested on the firearm matched the defendant.
• The defendant had a juvenile burglary adjudication in 2013 that prohibited him from possessing a firearm and does not possess a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
• Lancaster City Police were called to the defendant’s residence on April 29, 2023, for a neighbor dispute in which the defendant was stabbing his door with a knife.
• The victim was deaf and mute.
• No connection between the victim and defendant is known at this time.

Concepcion is scheduled to be arraigned June 9, 2023, at 9 a.m. before a judge to be determined. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sean McBryan, semcbryan@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @SeanMcBryanLanc.