In the late hours of a summer night in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the life of a young Black / African American man, Najeer T. Lane, was cut short by gunfire. On Thursday, September 1, 2022, the 22-year-old was pronounced dead just after midnight on the 1000 block of West Juniata Street. The Lehigh County Coroner's Office later confirmed that his death was a homicide resulting from a gunshot wound.
The Allentown Police Department, with assistance from the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force, immediately began an investigation into the fatal shooting.
The investigation into Lane's death revealed a conspiracy involving multiple individuals. Authorities charged Legious Robert Minder Jr., Xavier Grenon, and Frederick Antwan Marks Jr. in connection with the homicide. The investigation uncovered that the shooting was a rapid ambush. The perpetrators fired thirteen rounds in approximately one second from a 9mm handgun that had been illegally modified with a Glock switch, enabling it to fire as a fully automatic weapon. Lane was a passenger in a vehicle driven by another individual, Bless Jones, when they were attacked on their way to Trout Creek Park. Lane was struck in the back and died at the scene. Less than an hour after the initial shooting, Grenon and others went to Jones's home and fired another twelve rounds at Jones and another person, though both escaped injury.
In October 2024, Legious Robert Minder Jr., then 22, of Bethlehem, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and aggravated assault for his role in the death of Najeer Lane and the attempted murder of Bless Jones. He was sentenced to 40 to 80 years in state prison. In a separate trial in February 2026, Xavier Grenon, 27, of Allentown, was convicted of conspiracy to commit criminal homicide, attempt to commit criminal homicide, and aggravated assault in connection with the attempted killing of Jones. However, he was acquitted of the charges directly related to Lane's death. In May 2026, Grenon was sentenced to 18 years and 9 months to 40 years in state prison. The case against the third co-defendant, Frederick Antwan Marks Jr. of Bath, is still pending, and he remains incarcerated while awaiting trial.
