An arrest has been made in the deadly shooting of a Philadelphia police officer and the injuring of another officer in a parking garage at Philadelphia International Airport last week.
Yobranny Martinez Fernandez, 18, was arrested around 4 a.m. on Monday in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, according to a news conference held by police.
According to temporary 1st Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore, police believe Martinez Fernandez was involved in both the car theft and the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Richard Mendez.
Officer Mendez handcuffed Martinez Fernandez as he processed him. Martinez Fernandez, who is sought for murder in Philadelphia, has been apprehended in New Jersey and will be extradited there soon.
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Martinez Fernandez is accused of being one of four persons involved in the event. One of the conspirators, according to Vanore, is accused of firing at and wounding two Philadelphia police officers.
Investigators are still gathering evidence on the extra persons.
A gunshot was fired in the airport parking garage about 11 p.m. last Thursday.
Officers Richard Mendez and Raul Ortiz were slain after approaching a group of car thieves in an airport parking garage, according to officials.
Mendez died at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center after being shot multiple times in the upper torso.
Ortiz was released from the hospital the next day after being shot in the arm the day before.
“A happy day to see him get out of the hospital, knowing that he is on the road to recovery as far as his arm, but it is really his mind and heart that will need time to heal,” Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford said.
Eddie Lopez, the chairman of the Spanish American Police Officers Association and a Philadelphia police officer, revealed in an interview that he had known Mendez for 21 years.
“This is a loss for everyone,” Lopez pointed out. “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.”
Over the weekend, Kensington police discovered a stolen black Dodge Charger. They believe the shooting was linked to the car.
The reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction has been increased to $237,400.
