Arrest made in fatal shooting of officer inside Philadelphia airport parking garage

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. 

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.  

Martinez Fernandez is believed to be one of four individuals involved in the incident. 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 $237,400. 

BREAKING— Philadelphia Police confirm to @JoeHoldenCBS3 an arrest has been made in the fatal shooting of Officer Richard Mendez on Thursday that happened inside an airport parking garage. A news conference is scheduled for 2:30. Watch at https://t.co/tLtSLpP97C

— CBS Philadelphia (@CBSPhiladelphia) October 16, 2023

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.   

Philadelphia Police say once placed under arrest, handcuffs of the late Officer Richard Mendez, were placed on the wrists of the 18-year old suspect. pic.twitter.com/ldlqgQOBoU

— CBS Philadelphia (@CBSPhiladelphia) October 16, 2023

The shooting inside the parking garage at the airport happened around 11 p.m. last Thursday 

According to police, Officers Richard 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.

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."

Investigators found a stolen Black Dodge Charger in Kensington over the weekend. They believe the car is connected to the shooting.

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