One Partygoer Made Wise Choice to Refuse a 'Bump'

Authorities in Pittsburgh say they've largely unraveled the story of how three men wearing orange wristbands ended up dead in a Pittsburgh apartment building last weekend. Authorities received help from a witness who made a possibly lifesaving choice in refusing to sniff white powder from a knife. The details:

• The start: Police say things got started last Saturday night at the Insomnia Discotec, when one of the patrons there invited people—included members of the band—back to his apartment for a party, reports Trib Live. That's why everyone was wearing orange wristbands; they came from the nightclub.
• The drugs: At the party, police say host Peter Rene Sanchez Montalvo, 25, began bragging about money and produced a box of drugs, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He "cut into the narcotics and scooped out a large quantity of what the users believed was cocaine," per a criminal complaint. Montalvo allegedly made the rounds of the room, asking people to take a "bump" of the white powder off his knife. At that point, "people immediately began to drop," says the complaint.

• A witness: One man says he refused the bump and argued with Montalvo about it before fleeing the apartment, per investigators. Police say this witness provided a video of Montalvo serving up the drugs.
• Victims: When police arrived, they found three people dead at the scene: Rubiel Clemente-Martinez, 32; Josue Soberal Serrano, 38; and Joel Pecina, 32. Three other men inside the apartment were brought to the hospital, with one in critical condition. A fourth overdose victim was found about two blocks away, though authorities haven't definitively linked him to the party yet. One of those who died is believed to have been a member of the band.
• Fentanyl: Authorities think the drug ingested contained fentanyl or something similar, reports the Washington Post. Montalvo is in custody, charged with illegal distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury. He faces up to 140 years in prison, per the Post-Gazette.

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