A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer and his 37-year-old girlfriend, a nurse, were found dead in a Bronx apartment Tuesday night in an apparent murder-suicide, authorities confirmed.
Police responded to a 911 call at 9:04 p.m. reporting an assault at an apartment on Blackstone Avenue. Upon arrival, officers discovered Andrea Cantarini and Juan Cornelio Diaz, both with gunshot wounds to the head, and pronounced them dead at the scene. The incident is under investigation by the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
CBP confirmed to Newsweek that one of its officers was involved and described the case as an apparent murder-suicide. A spokesperson stated: “U.S. Customs and Border Protection is aware of an apparent murder/suicide incident involving one of its officers from the New York Field Office. CBP is cooperating with the investigation and defers any additional questions to the New York Police Department.”
Family members allege Diaz threatened Cantarini earlier Tuesday, prompting her to leave for work. Her father, retired NYPD officer Rudy Cantarini, told the New York Post that his daughter called him at 8:47 p.m., begging for her life. He recounted to the New York Daily News that he was on the phone with her for 14 minutes as Diaz held a gun to her head. According to AMNY, the father overheard his daughter screaming before hearing what sounded like three gunshots.
Cantarini worked as a nurse at St. Barnabas Hospital and shared a 6-year-old daughter with Diaz. Multiple neighbors told News 12 that the child was not in the apartment during the shooting. The couple had lived together at the address where the incident occurred.
Police are reviewing the scene and conducting interviews as part of their investigation. No further details about the officers involved or the CBP’s internal response have been released. The case remains under active inquiry by the NYPD’s Homicide Task Force.