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Cops: Ithaca Man Shoots UPS Driver Dead; Drives Over Him; Fires At Them

ITHACA, N.Y. (CBS/AP) — A man shot and killed a UPS driver in a Wal-Mart parking lot on Thursday, then drove over the victim with his vehicle before surrendering to police after an hours long standoff at a nearby home, authorities said.

Ithaca Police Chief John Barber said the shooting occurred at around 12:50 a.m. outside a 24-hour superstore in Ithaca. When officers arrived, they found the victim, a 52-year-old man, on the pavement and a vehicle fleeing the scene, Barber said.

Other police officers spotted a car that matched the description of the vehicle seen fleeing. Officers attempted to pull the car over, but the driver didn't stop until reaching a driveway at a home in Dryden, just east of Ithaca, Barber said.

The suspect exited the vehicle, fired a shot at police and ran into the house, believed to be his own, officials said. No one was hit by the gunfire. No one else was inside the home when the suspect barricaded himself inside, police said.

A police negotiator and SWAT team arrived as officers surrounded the house and evacuated nearby homes. Barber said the suspect surrendered at around 9:45 a.m. after the negotiator spoke with him through a robot the SWAT team inserted into the home.

Ithaca Map (Google Maps)
Ithaca Map (Google Maps)

According to Barber, the police department received a call about a shooting in the Walmart parking lot at 135 Fairgrounds Memorial Parkway at 12:52 a.m. Thursday. Officers arrived and found one man down in the parking lot and the suspect's vehicle fleeing the scene, Barber said.

The suspect's name hasn't been released. Barber said he was still being questioned and hadn't been charged.

"The community is safer place with this man off the streets," the police chief said.

Police said they were still trying to determine a motive for the shooting.

Police were withholding the victim's name until his family could be notified. Barber said he was from a rural town in neighboring Tioga County, 10 miles south of Ithaca.

Messages seeking comment from Atlanta-based United Parcel Service Inc. weren't immediately returned.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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