Columbia man convicted for aggravated assault, firing gun into building

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — A Lancaster County court has convicted 27-year-old Joel Jomar Ortiz-Rivera for aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person after he fired a .40 caliber handgun into an occupied car on June 16, 2021. Ortiz-Rivera fired three shots into a parked car on the 200 block of Avenue F around 10:53 p.m.

The victim suffered lacerations to his right arm and neck from shattered glass caused by the gun shots. A bullet went through the windshield on the passenger side of the car and lodged itself in the frame of the front passenger-side door, nearly hitting the victim.

Police located Ortiz-Rivera at his residence with his cousin; Two handguns were in plain sight on the dining room table, one of which was the .40 caliber handgun used in the incident.

Assistant District Attorney Benjamin Baker prosecuted the case. “We’re lucky we aren’t here for something worse,” said Baker.

The jury reached its guilty verdict on June 14, 2022. Lancaster County Judge Jeffery Wright heard the trial and set bail at $25,000. Ortiz-Rivera posted bail on June 29, 2021 and was monitored via GPS while he awaited sentencing.