On the night of August 20, 2021, Jomar J. Almestica, a 26-year-old male of Puerto Rican descent, was tragically killed in Lancaster, PA. He was attending a party on the 600 block of Hebrank Street when an argument broke out between two individuals. Almestica was not involved in the dispute but was watching from the steps of a neighboring residence.
During the altercation, one of the men, identified as Steffen Vadoria Tidwell Jr., brandished a handgun and fired multiple shots. Almestica was struck by the gunfire in his torso, arms, and legs. He was rushed to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries but succumbed to his wounds in the early hours of August 21, 2021.
Following the shooting, an investigation was launched by the Lancaster City Bureau of Police. Through witness interviews, detectives identified 27-year-old Steffen Tidwell as the suspected shooter. An arrest warrant was issued, and on August 23, 2021, Tidwell turned himself in to the authorities. He was charged with one count of criminal homicide and one count of discharging a firearm within the city of Lancaster.
After a five-day trial in October 2025, a jury found Steffen Vadoria Tidwell Jr. guilty of voluntary manslaughter and the summary charge of discharging a firearm. The trial included the crucial testimony of Almestica's mother, who was a witness to the shooting.
