NEW ROCHELLE, NY (June 4, 2026) — A Greenlawn man charged in the shooting of a woman on Long Island was arrested Thursday morning near Trinity Elementary School in New Rochelle after a police pursuit ended adjacent to the school, prompting a temporary lockdown while officers searched for the suspect. Police later recovered a firearm in a wooded area near where the suspect was apprehended.
According to Suffolk County Police, a 40-year-old woman was shot during a domestic-related incident on Leigh Street in Greenlawn at approximately 12:52 a.m. Thursday. The woman suffered serious injuries and was transported to a hospital for treatment. The suspected shooter fled the scene.
Suffolk County Police identified the suspect as Eric Giovanni Whilby, 37, of Greenlawn. He is charged with First-Degree Assault and Second-Degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon.
According to the City School District of New Rochelle, the incident near Trinity Elementary began at approximately 8:45 a.m. when New York State Police troopers were involved in a high-speed pursuit on Interstate 95. The chase ended when the driver exited I-95 near Trinity Elementary School, crashed the vehicle and abandoned it in a residential parking lot near the school’s field before fleeing on foot.
At the time, Trinity kindergarten students and their parents were participating in a Field Day event on school grounds.
The district said police directed school administrators and staff to clear the area and secure all children and families inside the building. School officials immediately implemented a schoolwide lockdown, preventing anyone from entering or leaving the school until an all-clear was issued.
New Rochelle Police Department Capt. J. Collins Coyne said the vehicle was wanted by Suffolk County Police and that the pursuit involved New York State Police, with assistance from the New Rochelle Police Department.
Suffolk County Police said detectives, assisted by New York State Police Troop T and the New Rochelle Police Department, located and arrested Whilby on Pelham Road in New Rochelle at approximately 8:40 a.m.
Coyne said the suspect fled into a wooded section of a private apartment complex adjacent to Trinity Elementary School. Officers located him there and placed him under arrest without incident. He was then taken into custody by New York State Police.
“A gun was located near where the suspect was arrested in the wooded area on private property,” Coyne said.
According to Coyne, witnesses at the school reported that they never saw the suspect enter school grounds.
“Police were on the grounds of the school but the suspect was found on private property adjacent to the school,” Coyne said.
The district said New York State Police and New Rochelle police completed their investigation before clearing the area and advising school officials it was safe for students to return to Field Day activities.
“None of what happened involved or impacted any individuals, students, or staff at Trinity,” the district said in a statement. “All are safe and well and our students and families resumed their Field Day.”
Coyne said the investigation is a Suffolk County Police case assisted by New York State Police and the New Rochelle Police Department. He said he did not have details regarding the underlying Suffolk County investigation.
Suffolk County Police said Whilby was scheduled to be held overnight at the Third Precinct and arraigned June 5 in First District Court in Central Islip.
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox. It has been updated with information from the City School District of New Rochelle, Suffolk County Police and New Rochelle Police Department
Have information about this story? Email robertcox@talkofthesound (preferred) or contact via WhatsApp: +353 089 972 0669.