Charge in cop shooting
A TEENAGER ACCUSED of shooting a Yonkers cop in the chin was arraigned at his hospital bedside, police said Friday.
Frank Valencia, 18, of New Rochelle, is charged with attempted murder for the Monday shooting of Yonkers Police Officer Kayla Maher, 26 (pictured far left).
“Defendant Valencia stands accused of perpetrating one of the most heinous of violent acts, the attempted murder of one of our police officers; his alleged actions were an assault on Officer Maher, the Yonkers Police Department, and the community we serve,” YPD Commissioner Charles Gardner said.
Valencia (pictured, middle) was arraigned Thursday while being treated at the Westchester County Medical Center and ordered held without bail. His alleged accomplice, Jerry Reyes, 22 (far right), also of New Rochelle, was charged with weapons possession and arraigned Wednesday. Reyes’ bail was set at $100,000 cash or $250,000 bond.
Maher was released from Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx on Tuesday to the applause of her fellow officers.
On Monday night, Maher and her partner responded to a call to check on a car that seemed out of place in the residential neighborhood.
As the cops neared the car, Valencia pulled out a gun and started firing, shooting Maher through her jaw, according to police.
Other officers returned fire and shot Valencia, who remains in serious but stable condition. A FATHER of five died three weeks after being struck by drunken driver in Brooklyn, police said Friday.
Victor George, 58, was crossing Eastern Parkway at Troy Ave. in Crown Heights when a white Lexus sedan smashed into him around 3:20 a.m. on Sept. 3, authorities said.
George (pictured) suffered cuts to his head and fractures to his legs, according to officials.
The former MTA track repairman died Monday at Kings County Hospital. Friends said complications during an operation on one of his legs was the grim turning point.
“I don’t understand, he was doing so good,” said Carla Francois, 24, the sister of George’s girlfriend. “We just couldn’t believe it.”
The driver of the Lexus, Paul Duran, 63, of Prospect Heights, was charged with DUI, vehicular assault and acting in a manner injurious to a child because a 5-yearold boy was in the backseat. The child was not hurt. A 49-year-old woman in the front passenger seat suffered cuts to her face. Duran was released on $2,500 bond. The Brooklyn District Attorney’s office will consider upgrading the charges.