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PA Bank Robber Posts Cryptic Message Hours Before Being Shot In Back By Police

The machete-wielding man shot by Lancaster police after a robbery has been identified by the coroner on Saturday, Jan. 25.

Luis Fuentes, 39, posted on Facebook at 7:00 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, "Soon you guys are gonna see me on national TV, and that means the world. It’s gonna be funny," followed at 7:40 a.m. by, "Being a nice guy doesn’t always work, but I’ll show you how nice I am!" Hours later, he was involved in a machete-wielding robbery that ended in a fatal confrontation with Lancaster police.

The incident began at 10:15 a.m. when police responded to a robbery on the 800 block of South Duke Street. Fuentes, armed with a machete, fled the scene in a vehicle, authorities said.

A vehicle pursuit ended on the 400 block of South Plum Street, where Fuentes attempted to flee on foot, ignoring commands to stop. During the confrontation, an officer shot Fuentes, who was still armed with the machete, police said.

Preliminary findings from the investigation revealed that an officer fired a single shot at Luis Fuentes as he ran toward a bystander while wielding a machete, the DA's office announced on Monday, Jan. 27. Fuentes, who was in close proximity to the bystander and posed an imminent threat, had ignored repeated commands from officers to drop the weapon. The shot immediately incapacitated Fuentes, preventing further harm.

Fuentes was transported to Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital, where he died at 2:57 p.m., the coroner's office confirmed. A firearm-related injury was noted as the primary cause of death, though the official ruling is pending further investigation.

An autopsy was conducted at the Lancaster County Forensic Center as part of the ongoing investigation on Monday, Jan. 27. His cause of death was a gunshot to the back and the manner was homicide, the coroner ruled.

The Lancaster County District Attorney's Office and detectives are investigating both the bank robbery and the use of force. 

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