New Rochelle Man Sentenced In Shooting Of Yonkers Police Officer

A New Rochelle man will be going to prison, possibly for the rest of his life, for shooting a Yonkers police officer in Sept. 2017, as well as an unrelated case in New Rochelle. Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino Jr. said that Frank Valencia, 19, of New Rochelle, was sentenced Friday to serve 24 years to life in state prison for the shooting of Police Officer Kayla Maher.

Valencia pleaded guilty to the following charges Dec. 18, 2018:

For the Yonkers shooting:

• Two counts of attempted aggravated murder of a police officer, felonies (24 years to life on each count)
• Second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a felony (3.5 years in prison)

For the New Rochelle shooting:

• Second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a felony (3.5 years in prison)

In a prepared statement, Scarpino said that justice was served.

"Convicted felon Frank Valencia will be off the streets, in prison, paying for the pain he inflicted on Police Officer Kayla Maher and those who dodged bullets that same day," he said. "That attack was not on one person, it was on the entire Yonkers police force. As of today, Valencia will serve the prison time he deserves."

Regarding the Yonkers shooting, the indictments said Valencia was involved in the shooting of a Yonkers police officer. Around 8 p.m. Sept. 25, 2017, two police officers responded to reports of a suspicious parked car at Marshall Road and Ridge Drive in the Park Hill section of Yonkers. As officers exited their patrol car and approached the vehicle occupied by Valencia and Reyes, Valencia opened fire, and one of the responding officers was struck in the jaw by a bullet. Backup arrived, and while officers returned fire, the injured police officer was rushed to a nearby trauma center. The officer was released from the hospital two days later.

Valencia was injured in the shootout with police and taken to Westchester Medical Center where he was arraigned on charges of attempted murder. 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 later at the scene where the shootout occurred.

In addition, Valencia was sentenced on a weapons charge stemming from an incident Sept. 11, 2017, in New Rochelle. There he fired a weapon multiple times at a vehicle occupied by several people. No one was injured, police said.

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