New Rochelle Man Enters Plea In Cop Shooting

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A New Rochelle man faces the possibility of life in prison for shooting a Yonkers police officer and firing a weapon at a car full of people. Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino Jr. said Tuesday that Frank Valencia, 19, pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder of a police officer and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, both felonies, related to the Sept. 25, 2017, shooting of a Yonkers police officer.

He also pleaded guilty to additional count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, stemming from a Sept. 11, 2017, incident in New Rochelle where he fired a weapon multiple times at a vehicle occupied by several people. No one was injured.

Scarpino said that, around 8 p.m. Sept 25, 2017, two Yonkers police officers responded to reports of a suspicious parked car in the Park Hill section of Yonkers.

As officers got out of their car and approached the vehicle, which was occupied by Valencia and Jerry Reyes, 23, Valencia open fire, striking one of the officers in the jaw with a bullet.

Backup arrived and, while officers returned fire, the injured police officer was taken to a nearby trauma center. The officer was released from the hospital two days later.

Valencia was injured in the shootout and was taken to Westchester Medical Center where he was arraigned on attempted murder charges.

Reyes was arrested at the scene and charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. A loaded Glock 40-caliber semi-automatic handgun, a high-capacity magazine and numerous bullets were recovered at the scene, police said.

The charge against Reyes is still pending.

When sentenced Feb. 8, Valencia could receive a maximum sentence of life in prison.

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Photo caption: Frank Valencia, far right, in court. Photo credit: Westchester County District Attorney's Office.