A Walnutport man who shot a 19-year-old in the shoulder during a drug-related 2023 robbery in Lower Towamensing Township has been sentenced to a state prison term of up to 16 years following a negotiated guilty plea.

Ivan Jordan Gonzales, 21, pleaded guilty on Thursday before Carbon County Judge Joseph J. Matika to felony charges of criminal attempt–criminal homicide and firearms not to be carried without a license. All other charges were dismissed as part of the negotiated plea.

Matika sentenced Gonzales to serve a minimum of 8 years and a maximum of 16 years in a state correctional institution for the attempted homicide charge, and a concurrent sentence of 30 months to 7 years on the firearms offense.

As a condition of sentencing, Matika ordered that Gonzales submit to a comprehensive drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommended treatment. He also directed that Gonzales have no contact with the victim.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred on April 29, 2023, in the 1200 block of Hahns Dairy Road. According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by the Pennsylvania State Police at Lehighton, troopers were dispatched at approximately 3:33 p.m. for a report of a gunshot victim.

Police arrived to find a man suffering from a gunshot wound to his left shoulder. The victim told troopers he had been shot at the bottom of his driveway by an occupant of a red sedan with black rims and tinted windows. He was transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest for treatment.

The victim’s grandfather said the victim had walked outside and that he heard a single gunshot and screeching tires shortly after. He ran back into the house after being shot, and his grandfather called 911 and applied pressure to the wound with a towel.

Surveillance footage reviewed by police showed the victim approaching the red sedan before it sped away. The victim was then seen running back to the house with an obviously wounded shoulder.

Later that evening, at 5:27 p.m., Walnutport Police Officer Scott Ledo reported speaking with two women at the former Kmart location on North Best Avenue in Walnutport who were allegedly involved in the incident. The women identified the shooter as Gonzales and said they had dropped him off at the Hillcrest Apartments in Slatington following the shooting.

The women also told police that Gonzales had been picked up at his girlfriend’s residence in Palmerton earlier that day for a trip to purchase marijuana. One of the women sat in the rear passenger seat while the other drove. Gonzales was in the front seat, dressed in a black mask, black pants, a white hoodie, a black vest, and black boots.

The vehicle, a 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, was located later that evening by Slatington Police at Yenser Alley and Cherry Street. It was seized and towed to the state police barracks pending a search warrant.

According to one of the women, Gonzales used GPS on his phone to guide them to the residence on Hahns Dairy Road. Upon arrival, the car first passed the victim before turning around and returning. Gonzales then talked to the victim before shooting him once and fleeing.

The same witness recounted Gonzales saying after the shooting, “People die every day he’ll be OK,” and also claimed Gonzales said, “the ‘n’ word people die every day he’ll be OK.”

The other woman told police she often gave Gonzales rides to pick up marijuana in exchange for money. She said that on the day of the incident, she observed a round chambered in Gonzales’ black handgun and witnessed him grab a zippered bag of marijuana from the victim after asking where the money was. Gonzales then raised the handgun and fired one shot.

She said she sped away after the shooting and noted Gonzales had a recent reputation for robbing drug dealers.

The victim was interviewed at the hospital and stated he had been waiting at the end of his driveway for his brother and a friend when the red sedan pulled up. He approached the vehicle to see if they needed assistance, at which point the front seat passenger presented a handgun and shot him in the shoulder.

Search warrants were later issued for both the Hyundai and the victim’s bedroom. Inside the vehicle, police located one 9mm shell casing on the passenger side. In the bedroom, authorities seized drugs, drug paraphernalia, a large amount of cash, and items consistent with drug packaging and distribution.

Gonzales was arrested and charged on May 4, 2023. At the time of his arrest, bail was denied by Magisterial District Judge William J. Kissner. Gonzales remained in Carbon County Prison from the time of his arrest through sentencing.