Man with machete shot during argument on Staten Island, police say
NEW YORK - Police are investigating a shooting on Staten Island that sources say involved a machete and a former NYPD officer.
A man is in critical condition after the incident, which apparently started with road rage.
At about 9:30 Wednesday morning, police say they received 911 calls after shots rang out on Vineland Avenue. A neighbor who spoke to CBS New York's Doug Williams says he was among those who called.
"I heard somebody scream, so I looked out the window and seen a man, gentleman, laying in the street. And another guy standing over him with a firearm in his hand," he said. "Supposedly it's over a traffic dispute, I don't know."
The man with the firearm, sources tell CBS New York, was a 50-year-old former NYPD officer, who had previously resigned from the department. Police tell us the 45-year-old man he shot had a machete, which was still visible at the crime scene hours later.
All of it, police sources say, was a result of road rage. One witness told us both cars had been involved in an accident nearby; that's where some of the damage to the cars is from, but not all.
"The guy in the gray car got out with the machete and swung at them and broke the passenger window. That's why the passenger window's broke," a neighbor said.
"What if you had kids playing outside or something like that? Playing in the street and these guys had an accident, guy comes out with a machete. You know, I'd be scared for my kids," neighbor Joe Brullo said.
The identities of both men involved have not been released by police, who tell us the 45-year-old who was shot remains in the hospital in critical condition. The suspected shooter is in police custody for questioning.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
