SOMERS, N.Y. (1010 WINS) – A suspect in a deadly triple shooting was captured Tuesday, ending an hours-long manhunt in Westchester that prompted police warnings to residents and closed a school district.
The suspect, Fernando Jimenez, 40, was apprehended by 11:30 a.m. after police put out an alert overnight. He had last been seen in the town of Putnam Valley, though it wasn't immediately clear where he was caught.
He was wanted in connection with a shooting around 11:35 p.m. Monday in a residential area behind Crossroads Plaza at 57 Route 6 in the town of Somers, police said.
One person was killed in the shooting and two others were hospitalized with injuries, according to state police.
Police suggested the shooting wasn’t random, saying Jimenez was “familiar with the victims,” though their connection to him remains unclear. Two of them are reportedly children, and the third, a woman.
There was a large police presence in the area as the investigation continued Tuesday, and police urged people to avoid the scene and the suspect.
“Do not make contact or approach Jimenez who is believed to be armed,” state police said in a news release before his capture. They urged residents to check their trail or home security cameras for possible sightings.
The Putnam Valley Central School District announced its schools would be closed for the day due to the large-scale investigation.
The district’s superintendent, Jeremy Luft, wrote in a message to the school community: “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.”