A nurse and her boyfriend, a federal officer, were found fatally shot inside her apartment in Riverdale on Tuesday night. Police believe it was a murder-suicide.
Officers went to the building on Blackstone Avenue around 9 p.m. after Andrea Cantarini's father called police to say her boyfriend was trying to kill her, according to sources cited by the New York Post. Inside, they found Cantarini, 37, and Juan Cornelio Diaz, 38, each with a gunshot wound to the head.
Investigators believe Diaz, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer assigned to John F. Kennedy International Airport, shot Cantarini during a domestic dispute and then turned the gun on himself. A firearm was recovered at the scene. The NYPD said the case remains under investigation.
Neighbors Describe a Friendly Family
The couple had a 6-year-old daughter, and Diaz also had a son from an earlier relationship. A neighbor who lived beside the family for about a decade, until they moved to a larger apartment in the building next door last month, described them as friendly. The neighbor said Cantarini, a graduate of Bronx Community College's nursing program, was devoted to her daughter.
CBP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Where to Get Help
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or the NYC Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-621-4673. If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7.
Based on reporting by the New York Post (nypost.com). Photo: An NYPD patrol vehicle in Manhattan, file image not taken at the scene (Tony Hisgett, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons).
