A child was killed and two other people were critically wounded in a shooting late Monday night in Somers, New York, police said.
The Westchester County town is about 50 miles north of New York City. The shooting happened shortly after 11:30 p.m. at a townhouse complex off Route 6.
New York State Police say a suspect has been taken into custody, and a minor and an adult are in critical condition at Westchester Medical Center.
State Police identify Fernando Jimenez
The suspect, 40-year-old Fernando Jimenez, was apprehended about 12 hours after the shooting some 15 minutes away from the scene in Putnam Valley. He is facing several charges, including murder and attempted murder. He faced a judge in Somers court on Tuesday night, but didn’t enter a plea.
Somers Town Supervisor Robert Scorrano told CBS News New York the shooting was the result of a domestic violence incident. Town officials said that the mother was shot may have been his girlfriend, along with one of her children. They’re in critical condition at a hospital. A second minor, a student in a Somers school, died.
The most important thing, our heart and prayers go out to the family and to the victims,” he said. “Somers is a tight-knit community, and I know that we’ll all be rallied around this tragic event.”
Neighbors said they occasionally saw him working outside but they didn’t think he lived there full time.
“I don’t know much about him, I just know that he works on some of the guys’ cars over there,” one woman said.
“I know one of the guys that works in the store with me is a neighbor, and he’s very upset,” said another.
Retired detective helped catch the suspect
Jimenez was apprehended after a quick-thinking retired detective caught on to him.
Retired NYPD Det. Patricia Schiller says she came to check on her office when she got the alert that a suspect was in the area. She noticed the office air conditioner was knocked out.
“Blinds are never down to the bottom. And then I came up to Trooper Rivera and I said ‘Listen, I think the guy’s inside there,’… and there’s a camera inside, and I heard heavy breathing,” she said.
She said troopers brought in police dogs, and found him in a bathroom in the back.
Putnam Valley School District closed during search
Putnam Valley schools were forced to close for the day after police issued a shelter in place order for the area.
The superintendent wrote in a message Tuesday morning, “We are in contact with the New York State Police who continue significant police activity throughout Putnam Valley. Some residents remain under shelter-in-place orders. After speaking with law enforcement the decision has been made to close all Putnam Valley Schools today.”
Schools reopened after the person of interest was taken into custody, but all after-school activities were canceled “in light of the tragic incident that has impacted our community
