Two additional suspects have been arrested in connection with the shooting death of Philadelphia police officer Richard Mendez, who was fatally gunned down last week while arriving for his shift at the Philadelphia International Airport. Alexander Batista-Polanco, 21, from Camden, New Jersey, was arrested on Tuesday, while Hendrick Pena-Fernandez, 21, from Pennsauken, New Jersey, was apprehended on Wednesday. A third suspect, Yobranny Martinez-Fernandez, 18, was taken into custody on Monday.
Officer Mendez, 50, was shot and killed when he intervened in a vehicle break-in at the airport while on duty. Officer Raul Ortiz was also wounded in the incident. Authorities believe that the three arrested individuals were involved in the killing of Mendez and the injuring of Ortiz. A fourth suspect, Jesús Hernán Madera Durán, died shortly after Mendez was shot.
Batista-Polanco and Martinez-Fernandez are facing multiple charges, including murder, attempt to commit criminal homicide of a law enforcement officer, assault of a law enforcement officer, and robbery, among others. Charges against Pena-Fernandez have yet to be announced.
According to reports, Mendez and Ortiz heard the sound of glass shattering in an airport parking garage and responded to a vehicle break-in. As they attempted to apprehend one of the suspects, one of them allegedly shot the officers. The weapon used in the shooting has not been recovered, and authorities do not believe that the officers fired their weapons.
Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford expressed satisfaction with the arrests, stating, “I said that we would get you, and we did just that.”
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and authorities are working to gather more evidence and information related to the case.
