Tarrytown: Shooting suspect arrested trying to get ticket to Delaware

TARRYTOWN - The suspect wanted for Tuesday morning's fatal shooting in Tarrytown was waiting for a bus out of state at the Port Authority Bus Terminal when he was arrested by Port Authority police officers, according to Port Authority Deputy Director Steve Coleman.

The suspect, later identified as Cynell Brown, tried to buy a ticket to Wilmington, Delaware, Coleman said.

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After getting the suspect's information and description from the FBI, Port Authority Sgt. Kevin Cottrell and officers Brandon Kubic and James Herkimer, all in plain clothes, found Brown shortly before 7 p.m. in the Greyhound Ticketing Area at the counter, Coleman said.

He was with his aunt and aunt's child, Coleman said.

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Brown's victim, a 34-year-old woman whose name hasn't been released because it's an ongoing investigation, was shot shortly after 7 a.m. at a housing complex on White Plains Road during a domestic incident, Tarrytown Village Administrator Richard Slingerland said.

She was pronounced dead from the gunshot wounds at Westchester Medical Center, according to police.

The shooter was reportedly seen in the area of Larchmont Acres, in Mamaroneck, Tuesday afternoon, according to Larchmont Village Administrator Justin Datino.

A spokeswoman with the Mamaroneck school district said they were informed by police that the alleged shooter had a connection with a Larchmont-area address, which prompted a district-wide "controlled dismissal" procedure. This means parents and guardians had to pick their children up from school where police were assisting and escorting families.

Six other districts in and around Tarrytown were in lockout mode during most of the day and another was "holding in place."

Tarrytown Police Chief John Barbelet said the shooting was reported at 7:16 a.m. at the Sleepy Hollow Gardens apartment complex at 177 White Plains Road.

A gun was later found in a garbage can, Slingerland said, but he wouldn't say where.

"An extensive search was conducted and we feel there is no immediate threat to the area residents at this time," Barbelet said during a brief news conference Tuesday afternoon. "We are currently following up leads based upon our initial investigation and will continue to do so."

Barbelet said police have not identified the shooter. He said the victim lived in an apartment at Sleepy Hollow Gardens.

Irvington, Dobbs Ferry, Ardsley, Hastings-on-Hudson, Elmsford and Tarrytown schools went into lockout after the shooting, saying police were looking for someone who may be armed. The Briarcliff Manor school district was put in a "hold-in-place" mode.

Lockout means classes continue normally, but school buildings are secured and locked to keep anyone from coming in. People can leave the building. A note to parents in the Briarcliff Manor school district described their "hold-in-place" procedure as putting school security guards on high alert and having local police officers stationed on the grounds. Students could leave school if escorted by a parent or guardian.

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The police chief also declined to describe the shooter at the news conference, but earlier reports from the school districts said "a male with a dark complexion, possibly wearing a camouflage jacket, is being sought and believed to be armed."

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Police from the state, Westchester County, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Irvington, Sleepy Hollow and Greenburgh have been assisting Tarrytown police with the investigation. The Westchester District Attorney's Office and FBI are also actively involved, Barbelet said.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the Mamaroneck school district’s student dismissal procedure Tuesday. The online version has been updated to reflect this change.

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Twitter: @MattSpillane, @ChrisEberhart2