Police are searching for a motive in a bizarre shooting that killed a college student’s family member. News 4’s Jessica Cunnington reports.
The relative of a Marist College student died Sunday morning in a shooting at a hotel 10 minutes down the road from the school where "Family Weekend" was underway, college and police officials said.
Multiple agencies responded to the Courtyard by Marriott in the Town of Poughkeepsie around 7:30 a.m. for reports of shots fired inside the hotel, police said in a statement.
Officers arrived at the hotel on South Road and located a man inside, suffering from an apparent fatal gunshot wound. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Two suspects were also located in the area of the hotel and taken into custody, according to Chief Joseph Cavaliere. Investigators recovered a firearm as well as materials "used to make explosives," the chief told News 4.
"During the building search, a hotel room was found to contain manuals related to the making of explosive devices, as well as materials with the potential to be used as explosives," police said in a statement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said members of its New York team were on scene assisting police.
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Law enforcement sources said the gunman and another man were smoking a PCP-like substance in their hotel room Sunday morning. The gunman went downstairs to the lobby to get coffee and he ended up arguing with hotel staff and other people. Then he took out a gun and started firing.
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Late Sunday it remained unclear whether the victim struck by the gunfire was the intended target or what role he played in the lobby scuffle.
There was no active danger to the public after the two individuals were apprehended, police said. But the department did ask people to avoid the area during the investigation.
Police have not released the identities of the victim or the suspected shooter, but an email statement from Marist College identified the former as the relative of a current student.
“This morning, authorities made us aware of the tragic, fatal shooting of a family member of a Marist student at a local hotel several miles from campus. Our deepest condolences go out to the family, and we are offering the full support of the Marist community," the college wrote to students.
The shooting occurred in the middle of Marist's "Family Weekend," where students and families were invited to participate in three days of activities, including a football game, tailgating and picnic on the Waterfront.
