Maeve Bidonde, Staff Writer
On Tuesday, Jan. 30, police responded to a call involving a 36-year-old male with a gunshot wound on 30 Center Street. Police arrived and transported the victim to the hospital soon after. The name of the victim hasn’t been released. The gunman fled before police arrived on the scene, leaving investigators to search for any evidence that would lead them to who and where the gunman is. Subsequent investigations of the incident found footprints, which the police department hopes will help them further in the investigation.
The police were able to follow the footprints all the way through the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th wards. This led them to Hillside, where their investigation continued. The suspected gunman is 32-year-old Miguel A. Alcaraz, a resident in Oneonta. The police believe the shooting to be a targeted attack but the reason remains unknown. At the moment, investigation of an accomplice is underway.
A maintenance member on the Hillside Commons staff was arrested in connection to the shooting. The name of the maintenance member was not released to the public. But the results from that arrest proved effective as it helped police lead them to their next steps in the investigation.
On Jan. 31, police officers from the State University Police and Oneonta Police Department arrested Alcaraz on charges of burglary in the second degree. They were led to Alcaraz after the Otsego Police Department continued their search of the area and spotted him.
There are still a lot of questions that have yet to be answered. The circumstances of the shooting still remain private. But with Alcaraz and the maintenance member arrested, we can only hope that those are the only suspects involved in the shooting. Since their arrest, no shooting in the area or around Hillside has occurred.
Not much has been revealed about the shooting victim since they were hospitalized. It’s been speculated that the police don’t want to share their findings to the press to keep the community calm or until they have more answers from the suspect. In the meantime, the Onoenta community has returned to its peaceful rhythm. This isn’t the first shooting to happen in Oneonta. Last year, there was a shooting around the area of Spruce Street and Myrtle Avenue. Which left our community startled. It was a reminder of how far we need to be at night. An article was written soon after centering around the Oneonta students’ safety and precautions. It also covered tips of defending yourself too. But if another danger emerges, if another shooting occurs, the Oneonta Police Department will protect our community as they did many times before.
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