In the late hours of a spring evening in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a verbal argument escalated into a fatal encounter that ended the life of 43-year-old Jose L. Bermudez. On May 14, 2021, in the 100 block of North Hall Street, what began as a disagreement took a tragic turn when another man interjected himself into the dispute. That man was 36-year-old Raymond Bryan Gourgue.
The altercation quickly spiraled out of control, and Gourgue fatally shot Bermudez.
The shooting occurred at approximately 10:30 p.m., and Bermudez was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead at 11:12 p.m. The cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound, and the manner of death was officially ruled a homicide.
For over a year, the case remained under investigation until an arrest was made in October 2022. Raymond B. Gourgue was taken into custody and charged with the murder of Jose Bermudez. In July of the following year, Gourgue was convicted on murder charges for the shooting. In September 2023, a Lehigh County judge sentenced him to serve 20 to 40 years in prison for the crime.
