Double-Murder Suicide Near Hudson Valley Schools

A double-murder suicided happened close to a number of Hudson Valley schools.

Thursday morning, Efrain Lopez, an Ellenville Village Trustee, shot and killed his long-time girlfriend Margarita Soto and another man she was dating, Jose Cruz, reports ABC. Lopez then shot and killed himself.

The shooting occurred in the parking lot of the Canal Lock apartments on Center Street in Ellenville. The apartments are 0.2 miles from Ellenville High School and Ellenville Elementary School, according to Google Maps.

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According to ABC, Lopez followed Soto and Cruz in his car and waited for the pair to park their car in the apartment complex parking lot. As Cruz got out of his car, Lopez shot and killed him with a rifle. Lopez then walked to the passenger side, fired a shot through the car’s window and killed Soto.

Ellenville community members were shocked to learn about the Ellenville Village Trustee’s actions.

“In 1,000 years if you would have told me that I was going to be responding to this I would have called you crazy,” Ellenville Police Chief Philip Mattracion said. “He was just a very nice guy.”

As a precaution, around 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, the Ulster County Sheriff's Office sent out an alert telling parents that Ellenville High School was placed on lockdown due to police activity. The lockdown was lifted around 11 a.m. The shooting had nothing to do with the schools.

Mark Lieb of Rockland Video Productions provided Hudson Valley Post with scenes in Ellenville after the double-murder suicide.