Arrest made in fatal shooting of Officer Richard Mendez inside Philadelphia airport parking garage
Arrest #Arrest
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — An arrest has been made in connection to a shooting that killed a Philadelphia police officer and injured another last week in a Philadelphia International Airport parking garage, police said.
During a news conference Monday, police said 18-year-old Yobranny Martinez Fernandez was arrested in Cherry Hill, New Jersey at around 4 a.m. Monday.
United States Marshals Service Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force
Interim 1st Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said Martinez Fernandez is believed to have participated in a vehicle theft and in the fatal shooting of Philadelphia Police Officer Richard Mendez.
Investigators said Martinez Hernandez along with three others are responsible, including 18-year-old Jesus Duran. Vanore said it is believed one of those accomplices is responsible for firing a firearm that struck two Philadelphia officers.
Investigators are still working to obtain more evidence on the additional individuals. The reward leading to an arrest and conviction has increased to $276,000.
Officer Mendez’s cuffs were placed on Martinez Fernandez when he was processed. Martinez Fernandez is being held by New Jersey State Police where he is awaiting extradition to Philadelphia for murder charges.
The shooting inside the parking garage at the airport happened around 11 p.m. last Thursday.
According to police, Officers Mendez and Raul Ortiz were shot after they confronted a group of car thieves in a parking garage at the airport.
Mendez was shot multiple times in his upper torso and later died at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, police said.
Ortiz was shot in the arm and was released from the hospital Saturday morning.
“A happy day to see him get out of the hospital, knowing that he’s on the road to recovery as far as his arm, but it’s really his mind and his heart that’s going to need some time to heal,” Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford said.
Investigators said Martinez Hernandez along with three others are responsible, including 18-year-old Jesus Herman Madera Duran.
Duran was dropped off at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia by a stolen black Dodge Charger after the shooting at the airport and died due to gunshot wounds. Police said they later found that vehicle in Central New Jersey over the weekend.
“We believe that one of these accomplices is responsible for firing the firearm who shot all three of these individuals,” Vanore said. “Evidence is showing at this time.”
Police said they are still looking into who fired the shots that hit both the officers and Duran. They are also trying to figure out why the suspects were at the parking garage in the first place.
“We are working with the state police as well as federal partners to see if this is an organization and how much they are involved in,” Vanore said. “We are not quite there yet.”
Philadelphia Officer Eddie Lopez, president of the Spanish American Police Officers Association, said he knew Mendez for 21 years.
“This is a loss, not just for us,” Lopez said. “It’s a loss for you, the civilians of Philadelphia, to lose an officer who came in to work every day and did the job.”
On Monday, councilmember Quetcy Lozada, a family friend of the Mendez family, spoke on their behalf.
“Richie was a great man who was loved by many and we will continue to love him with the memories we have of him,” Lozada said.
Investigators found a stolen black Dodge Charger in Kensington over the weekend. They believe the car is connected to the shooting.
Police said they still have not recovered Mendez’s gun.
Officer Mendez’s viewing will be next Monday and the funeral will be held Tuesday. His family is asking for privacy and time to grieve.
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