(CHESTER, N.Y.) — A New York town official has been arrested for allegedly shooting a DoorDash driver who was lost and trying to get directions, police said.
The 24-year-old victim was attempting to deliver food to a house Friday night when he got lost in Chester, a town about 50 miles north of Manhattan, the New York State Police said.
He “approached several homes asking for directions before arriving at the residence of John Reilly III,” who is the Town of Chester highway superintendent, police said.
Reilly, 48, told the victim “to get off his property,” and then Reilly allegedly fired multiple shots at the driver while he was trying to leave in his car, police said.
The driver was shot once in the back and hospitalized with serious injuries, police said. He’s currently in stable condition, police said on Tuesday.
A DoorDash spokesperson said the company is “devastated by this senseless act of violence” and is wishing the driver “a full and speedy recovery.”
“No one should ever fear for their safety just for trying to make deliveries in their neighborhood,” the spokesperson said in the statement, adding, “We’ll continue to work closely with law enforcement as they investigate this tragic incident.”
Reilly — who is a federally licensed firearms dealer — was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm, police said. He was arraigned at the Orange County Centralized Arraignment Part and his preliminary hearing is set for Friday, police said.
Chester Town Supervisor Brandon Holdridge said in a statement Sunday that the board is “deeply troubled by what has been reported so far,” adding, “We hope the person who was injured in the incident makes a full and healthy recovery.”
“The Town of Chester is not taking any position on any investigation or legal proceeding,” Holdrige said, and he noted that the Chester Police Department recused itself from the case.
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