Four weeks after a Pomona man was shot and killed in Haverstraw, a suspect has been caught. Haverstraw Police and other officials held a press conference yesterday to provide additional details on the incident. They said family members of 18 year-old murder suspect Yandie Martinez of Haverstraw tried to get him to surrender, but eventually Haverstraw Police Chief John Gould said social media accounts and technology were used to pinpoint Martinez’s location in Piedmont, South Carolina…
The incident occurred around 4pm on July 1st, when Martinez and 29 year-old Christian Alvarado got into a fight on Main Street in the Village of Haverstraw. As Martinez chased him, Gould said Alvarado got into his car and drove off. Martinez fired at Alvarado, wounding him in the abdomen and the torso. Alvarado crashed his car into a parked car on Fairmount Avenue as Martinez fled. Though the two knew each other, Gould said the motive for the fight and shooting is unclear. At Monday’s press conference, Rockland District Attorney Tom Walsh said Martinez will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law…
Gould says a weapon was not recovered, it’s unknown how Martinez got to South Carolina, and he wouldn’t comment as to whether this was gang-related. Gould said Martinez was already known to the local police, but those records were under seal, and he could not discuss them. Martinez is being held at the Greenville County Correctional Facility in South Carolina. He’s expected in court there on Monday on a federal warrant charging him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. He’ll then be returned to Rockland by U.S. Marshals, and he’ll face multiple felony counts, including second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Meanwhile, the investigation continues, and Gould said they are also looking into who may have helped him try to escape, to bring them to justice, as well.