cester County Jail this week without
bond after allegedly shooting two
men during a verbal altercation that
turned physical at a roadside motel
pool last Saturday morning.
of 18th Street and Coastal Highway
when they heard what sounded like
gunshots coming from the area of
Kingfish Road. OCPD officers re-
sponded to the area and located a
male individual, whose name has
not been released, who appeared to
be the victim of a gunshot wound.
victim and another un-
identified male individ-
ual were in the pool at
the Islander Motel on
Philadelphia Avenue
near 18th Street when
they were engaged in a
verbal exchange with a group walk-
ing by on the street. The verbal ex-
change escalated when the two in-
dividuals in the pool confronted the
group on the street and an alterca-
tion occurred.
21, of Reading, produced a hand-
gun and shot the two victims. After
further investigation, OCPD officers
determined the second victim had
clothing and was not
injured, according to
police reports. The in-
jured victim was treat-
ed at the scene by
Ocean City EMS and
was later transported
to PRMC for treatment
threatening.
ly found a suspect later identified as
Carwin Duarte, 19, of Reading, near
the shooting scene on Dolphin Drive.
Mendez-Espada was then spotted
hiding in shrubs on nearby Marlin
Drive. He was later located in the
water under a boat dock at a private
residence on Marlin Drive. Mendez-
Espada was taken into custody with-
out further incident.
City Dive Team were assisting in the
recovery of evidence, although it is
uncertain if the weapon was recover-
ed. Mendez-Espada has been charg-
ed with two counts of attempted first-
degree murder, two counts of first-
degree assault and one count of the
use of a firearm in the commission of
a violent crime. Mendez-Espada ap-
peared in court on Monday for a bail
review and was ordered to be held
without bond. A preliminary hearing
has been set for July 26.
disorderly conduct. He also appear-
ed for a bail review hearing on Mon-
day and was released after posting
a $50,000 bond. His preliminary
hearing is set for July 31.
DUARTE