IN CUSTODY: Man killed one, shot at cops, police say

A part-time UPS driver from Candor was killed early Thursday in the parking lot of the Ithaca Walmart, and the suspect was apprehended after a standoff at the suspect's residence.

Justin Barkley, a 38-year-old from Dryden, was arraigned in Ithaca City Court on Thursday afternoon on a first-degree murder charge in the death of William Schumacher. Barkley, who was remanded to Tompkins County Jail, is scheduled to appear in court at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday.

Police officials credited a well-trained tactical and negotiations teams with helping to peacefully secure and arrest the suspect in the fatal shooting. Ithaca Police Chief John Barber said a negotiator contacted the suspect directly via a robot inserted into the residence on Dryden Road, where he fled into after firing one round from a long gun at officers following a vehicle pursuit north on Route 13.

"As a result of that dialogue, via that skilled negotiator, the suspect surrendered peacefully," said Barber, who added Barkley was taken into custody at 9:43 a.m. to end the long standoff. "The community is in a safer place right now with this man off the street."

Investigators determined Barkley and Schumacher did not know each other prior to the incident and had not had any prior interactions with each other.

HIT-AND-RUN: Man arrested in death of BU student

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.

Cayuga Heights police and Tompkins County Sheriff's deputies identified Barkley's vehicle on Route 13 and followed it north. Police attempted to stop the vehicle at Route 13 and Dryden Road, but he turned onto Dryden Road, traveled a quarter-mile, turned in a driveway and exited the vehicle with a long gun. Police say he fired one round, then retreated to his residence. Barber said there was nobody else in the residence during the standoff and the police are not looking for any other suspects.

Police evacuated the 1200 block of Dryden Road and areas surrounding it, and asked for everyone to keep away while the situation played out. All roads were open by 11 a.m.

Susan Rosenberg, a spokeswoman for the Atlanta-based package delivery company, said the driver was a seasonal employee who had stopped to get something to eat during his overnight shift. She said he was about four weeks into his second stint as a seasonal driver of a tractor-trailer hauling packages between UPS processing hubs.

“We’re very saddened by the situation,” Rosenberg said.

The suspect drove over the victim with his vehicle after shooting him, police added. The type of gun used was not identified.

Departments on scene were the Ithaca Police Department, Tompkins County Sheriffs Department, New York State Police, Cayuga Heights Police Department, New York State Park Police, New York State Police Aviation Unit, Ithaca SWAT, Syracuse Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Onondaga Sheriffs Office, Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response, Syracuse Police Department and the Tompkins County District Attorneys Office.

The investigation is still in its "infancy," according to Barber.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.