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Police Capture Federal Agent Suspected of Killing Three in String of Maryland Shootings

Police have arrested Eulalio Tordil, a Federal Protective Services officer suspected of killing his estranged wife on Thursday and two others in separate shootings on Friday.
Photo by Jose Luis Magana/AP

Four people were shot, two fatally, in separate incidents outside of Washington, DC, on Friday, and police are investigating whether the gunman is a federal law enforcement officer suspected of killing his estranged wife on Thursday. Police announced that the suspect, 62-year-old Eulalio SevillaTordil, was arrested just before 3pm on Friday.

The first shooting on Friday, in which three people were hit by gunfire, was reported at 11:13am at the Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Maryland. Police said one adult male victim is deceased, and two other victims were wounded. One of the victims is an adult male in critical condition, the other is an adult female with non-life-threatening injuries.

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"There was confrontation here in the mall parking lot. One individual was shot. Two other individuals came to that person's aid, potentially. They were also shot," said Montgomery County Assistant Police Chief Darryl McSwain.

A second shooting that left one woman dead was reported at 11:50am at the Aspen Hill Shopping Center in Silver Spring, about 8 miles away from the scene of the first incident.

Tordil, the suspected gunman, was arrested in Silver Spring, near the scene of the second shooting. Police said he was spotted going from store to store in the shopping center, and that he was kept under surveillance for about an hour before he was arrested. Police said they were concerned that Tordil was still armed, and that he would open fire if confronted.

"Members of our tactical team and others conducted the arrest of the individual in question," McSwain said. "Fortunately no innocent citizens or officers were injured in the arrest itself."

Tordil allegedly shot and killed his wife Gladys while she was waiting to pick up her children from school Thursday evening. A bystander was also wounded in the incident at High Point High School in Beltsville in Prince George's County, Maryland.

"He has since been taken to our headquarters for further questioning," McSwain said. "We do have reason to believe that this incident and the one in Aspen Hill potentially, to one also in Prince George's County at High Point, was in fact all related. That will obviously be further vetted through the investigative process."

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Tordil, who worked as a Federal Protective Service (FPS) officer, was stripped of his badge and gun and placed on administrative duties after a protective order was issued against him two months ago, according to FPS. The agency, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, provides security for the federal government.

Police said previously that Tordil had threatened to commit "suicide by cop."

Shootings UPDATE: Suspect IN CUSTODY in Aspen Hill area: Eulalio Tordil, 62. Press Conference to be held. Time: TBD — Montgomery Co Police (@mcpnews)May 6, 2016

"This continues to be a very active investigation. we're still looking at the possibility that these shootings here and the shooting in Aspen Hill are related," said Montgomery County Police Captain Paul Starks. "The other issue is that we are looking at whether last night's shooting in Prince George's County and these shootings were committed by the same suspect."

Fourteen schools in the area were placed on lockdown after the shootings on Friday. The security measures were lifted after Tordil's capture.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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