UPDATED – 4:15 p.m. – County police said Eulalio Tordil, the suspect in two shootings Friday morning in Montgomery County and a shooting Thursday in Prince George's County, will be arraigned Monday afternoon in Rockville District Court. Tordil was taken into custody Friday afternoon after plainsclothes officers spotted him eating lunch in an Aspen Hill shopping center near one of the shooting scenes.
Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger said officers observed Tordil's rental car, which Prince George's County police put out a lookout for after Thursday's shooting, in the parking lot of the Northgate Plaza shopping center shortly after they believe he shot and killed a woman sitting in her car in front of the Giant Food store in a shopping center across the street.
Manger said officers, fearing Tordil might be armed and prepared to get into a shootout with police, watched and waited for more than an hour as he went into multiple stores, including a Boston Market to have lunch. After he left the restaurant, Manger said officers surrounded him and he was arrested without incident. A gun was found in the car, though Manger said it was unclear if the gun was stashed in the car while Tordil ate lunch.
At 11:15 a.m., about 35 minutes before the Aspen Hill shooting, a county officer came upon the scene of three people who were shot in a parking lot at Westfield Montgomery mall. One of the victims, an adult man, died of his injuries at a local hospital. A second man remains in critical condition while a woman is being treated for nonlife-threatening injuries after being shot at the mall.
?Police believe Tordil, 62, shot and killed his estranged wife Thursday at High Point High School in Prince George's County Thursday afternoon, where she was picking up two of her children.
The arrest in Aspen Hill ended a manhunt for Tordil, a federal law enforcement officer, that Prince George's County police said began after the shooting at High Point High School.
"We would not be here today if it had not been for the coordination of both Prince George's County and Montgomery County," Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy said. "To do this without incident, without additional loss of life is extraordinary."
@fox5dc pic.twitter.com/kduJKU5SSR
— Alexandra Limon (@AlexandraFox5DC) May 6, 2016
McCarthy said Tordil would be officially charged Friday evening in Montgomery County and that he will be arraigned in Rockville District Court at 1 p.m. Monday.
Manger said police still don't know if Friday's victims have any connection to Tordil. McCarthy said authorities have information that Tordil once lived in the Aspen Hill area, which could explain why he headed toward the two shopping centers.
Manger said officers watched Tordil in the shopping center "walking from store to store" and "at no point was it safe to take him into custody." Prince George's County police put out a lookout Friday stating that Tordil "has made threats to commit suicide by cop."
Montgomery County police Assistant Chief Darryl McSwain said during a press conference at 12:30 p.m. at the Westfield Montgomery mall shooting scene that a confrontation happened in the mall parking lot near Macy's and one person was shot and then two others were shot when they attempted to come to the aid of the first victim. Some inside the mall said they were briefly told to remain inside.
The shooting scene at Westfield Montgomery mall. Credit: Aaron Kraut
The mall building remained open and Westfield Montgomery spokeswoman Patti Green told Bethesda Beat at 12:25 p.m. there's "no imminent danger" to shoppers.
At 11:50 a.m., police reported a second shooting occurred at a Giant grocery store in Aspen Hill and at 12:45 p.m., police announced the female victim in the Aspen Hill shooting had died.
The Giant grocery store is at 13781 Connecticut Ave., in a shopping center across Aspen Hill Road from where Tordil was apprehended.
Mall Shooting: 1 adult male victim is deceased. 2 other victims-1 adult male is critical, 1 adult female w/non-life-threatening injuries.
— Montgomery Co Police (@mcpnews) May 6, 2016
We're looking into the possibility Eulalio Tordil, High Point HS gunman, is also the shooter in Montgomery Co. pic.twitter.com/4rQW9IJ54f
— PGPDNEWS (@PGPDNews) May 6, 2016
Police have told us to take shelter – shooter maybe in area – we r reporting from inside news vehicle pic.twitter.com/a4SveTZuyM
— Kimberly Suiters (@ABC7Suiters) May 6, 2016
At the request of the police, we are placing all MCPS schools in a shelter-in-place due to police activity https://t.co/Z7kbr5ThNJ
— MCPS (@MCPS) May 6, 2016
Aspen Hill shooting: 1 adult female victim is deceased.
— Montgomery Co Police (@mcpnews) May 6, 2016
11:50 am- Report of a shooting at the Aspen Hill Giant (13781 Connecticut Avenue).
— Montgomery Co Police (@mcpnews) May 6, 2016
Nearby Walter Johnson HS, Tilden MS sheltering in place with shooter reportedly on the loose. The mall building itself remains open.
— Bethesda Beat (@BethesdaBeat) May 6, 2016
Debris on the ground in mall parking lot is center of investigation scene pic.twitter.com/GlBnaPtoK0
— Bethesda Beat (@BethesdaBeat) May 6, 2016
Parking lot near Macy's entrance to the mall has been taped off. Officers searching area pic.twitter.com/LtpiTTtmV9
— Bethesda Beat (@BethesdaBeat) May 6, 2016
Westfield Montgomery Mall (Bethesda): Preliminary info: 3 shooting victims: 2 males and 1 female. Suspect outstanding.
— Montgomery Co Police (@mcpnews) May 6, 2016
