Gunman Who Shot, Wounded Yonkers Police Officer At Point-Blank Range Faces Sentencing
YONKERS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – A New Rochelle man who opened fire on Yonkers police officers, wounding one, will be sentenced Friday.
Frank Valencia, 19, pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated murder of an officer and a weapons charge.
In September 2017, Officer Kayla Maher and her partner were responding to a report of a suspicious vehicle in the Park Hill section when Valencia fired at point-blank range, hitting Maher in the jaw.
“I never thought I’d be shot in the face,” she told CBS2’s Mary Calvi during an exclusive interview. “I thought I was fighting for my life.”
Web Extra: CBS2’s Mary Calvi Sits Down With Officer Maher
Backup arrived, and officers returned fire as Maher was carried to safety.
“I was very lucky,” she said. “If it wasn’t for the officers that were on the scene with me, it probably would have been a lot different.”
Valencia was previously sentenced to five years probation after being arrested in May 2017 with a handgun, knives and 300 rounds of ammunition in his backpack. He took a plea deal just five days before the police-involved shootout.
Yonkers Police Benevolent Association President Keith Olson said Valencia never should have been on the street.
Web Extra: Yonkers Police Officer Kayla Maher Leaves Hospital
“He was caught with a defaced, loaded handgun with 300 rounds of ammunition. That’s not what youthful offender status is for,” he said at the time.
Maher’s mother, a retired NYPD sergeant, agreed.
MORE: New Questions About Teen Suspect Accused Of Shooting Yonkers Police Officer
“Hundreds of rounds of ammunition in this 17-year-old kid’s bag with a gun prior to this. What did you think he was going to do?” Susan Barry said. “I think it’s disgusting. I think that I could have lost my daughter.”
Valencia faces 24 years to life in prison.
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February 08, 2019 at 06:15PM
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