Gunshot victim hospitalized, suspect arrested after Waterloo Tops shooting

WATERLOO, NY — According to Seneca Falls Police Chief Tim Snyder, police received a call about an active shooter in the Tops parking lot at 2:50 p.m. Sunday. When they arrived, they found a man in a truck who had been shot in the face. The victim was flown by Mercy Flight to Upstate Hospital in Syracuse.

The alleged suspect, 35-year-old Jose Garcia-Vellen of Waterloo, has been charged with assault and is being held at the Seneca County Correctional Facility awaiting arraignment.

Police said he was taken into custody without incident. Police said he had a weapon on him, but he put it down before they arrived.

The police assume that the two men knew each other and that there is no danger to the community.

“We are cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation,” a Tops spokesman said.

The store was temporarily closed after the shooting, but has now reopened.

A customer there said two elderly ladies and a man came into the store speaking Spanish and acting hysterical. He said someone in the store who spoke Spanish spoke to them. The customer heard someone was involved in a fight and was injured and that maybe someone should call 911. He then heard someone yell “gun” before a shot was fired and he ran to the back of the store. He said police were on the scene within minutes.