Christmas Morning Shooting Update

12/26/2012 (Updated 10:53:32 PM)

That is audio of the shootout on the Memorial Bridge leading to Riverside Drive in Binghamton. It happened at 2:30 Christmas morning and left 20-year-old Roberto Garcia dead and a Binghamton officer injured.

Police say Garcia shot a female officer at point blank range, and continued shooting before suffering two fatal gunshot wounds.

"We're lucky she's with us.  The distance was closer than you and I. Point blank right at her face," said Joseph Zikusky, Binghamton Chief of Police.

The officer suffered an injury to her ear. Another officer on the scene was uninjured, as was a suspect with Garcia on the bridge. Police say he voluntarily went to the ground before shots were fired. Police aren't releasing the name of that suspect, saying he has been questioned and released. Police also aren't releasing the name of the officers, saying the department has received threats.

Police say Garcia suffered three gun wounds, two fatal. Police say one of the fatal shots was likely delivered by police while the other may have been delivered by Garcia himself, as he was shooting backwards running from police.

"He did initially fire two rounds and start running.  He was shooting like this as he ran, over his head," said Zikusky.

Garcia, who police say came to Binghamton from the nation of Cuba when he was four, was arrested seven previous times. They say he and another person attempted to commit a home invasion - possibly to retrieve drug money - early Christmas morning near the area of Livingston Street and Conklin Avenue.

Garcia had been in federal custody facing deportation but Cuba refused to take him back. He was then released from custody and came back to Binghamton.

Police had say they had multiple addresses for Garcia in the City of Binghamton.

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