Maryland Shooting Victims: 'These Men Are Heroes'

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GAITHERSBURG, MD — Deadly shootings Friday at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda and the Giant store in Silver Spring were attempted carjackings gone wrong, provoked by a man already sought for the murder of his wife, police said Saturday night.

Russ Hamill, chief of detectives for the Montgomery County Police Department, spoke at a press conference and identified the two victims killed Friday.

Eulalio Tordil, 62, of Adelphi, has been charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shootings of Malcom Winffel, 45, of Boyds and Claudina Modina, 65, of Montgomery County.

Winffel was allegedly shot by Tordil when he came to the aid of a woman whose car Tordil was trying to steal at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Hamill said.

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Another man, who has not been identified by police, also ran to help the woman, likely saving her life. That man was shot and critically wounded.

“These men are heroes. Malcom Winfell gave his life for somebody he doesn’t know in order to protect her from a predator,” Hamill said.

Authorities have not identified that woman, who was also shot.

Hamill offered his condolences to the families of the shooting victims, as well as the victims themselves.

“We are deeply sorry for your losses and will stand with you through the trial process and help make sure that your loved ones’ losses do not go unaccounted for,” Hamill said.

A .40 caliber handgun found in Tordil’s car when he was arrested is likely to match the weapon used Thursday to kill his estranged wife, Gladys Tordil.

“We can find no prior relationships at this stage” between the Montgomery County victims and Eulalio Tordil, Hamill said.

In the Giant store parking lot Hamill said Tordil attacked Modina in an attempted carjacking.

Police are still trying to determine why both carjacking victims were targeted by Tordil, but both attempts failed because the victims fought back, and in the mall case, the two men intervened.

Tordil talked to police after he was arrested, but didn’t seem remorseful, Hamill said.

Police said that the fact that the suspect fired in nearly the same location as the Washington, DC, Beltway snipers from over a decade ago was coincidence.

While Tordil had both his work and personal weapons confiscated by authorities after he was suspended from duty in March, Hamill said the suspected shooter later purchased more guns. Whether he obtained the handgun used this week legally or illegally has yet to be determined.

»Screenshot of Montgomery County Police arresting shooting suspect Eulalio Tordil