Disturbing footage shows the moments a town official from New York state opened fire on a DoorDash driver going door to door to ask for directions after getting lost while trying to make a delivery.
The leaked Ring doorbell video, first obtained by News 12 Westchester, shows Town of Chester Highway Superintendent John Reilly exiting his home and firing a warning shot. He then aims his weapon and fires two more shots at the DoorDash driver’s car, yelling at him to “Go!”
New York State Police say the DoorDash driver got lost trying to locate a home in Reilly’s neighborhood where he was supposed to make a delivery. After encountering technical issues with the app’s GPS navigation, he stopped at several residents’ homes asking for directions.
When he got to Reilly’s home, Reilly ordered him to get off his property, “before firing multiple shots at the victim as he attempted to leave in his vehicle, striking the victim once in the back, causing serious physical injuries,” state police wrote in a release.
The family told local news outlets that the 24-year-old victim’s phone lost power, so he drove himself to a gas station to charge the device to 1 percent and call police. A store clerk had called authorities, but the victim drove himself home, where first responders met him to rush him to a local hospital.
“Grabbing his firearm, and… yeah he just started shooting at him and he thought his life was over,” a relative of the victim told WABC.
The family said that the victim is still hospitalized and has to undergo a second surgery.
Reilly, 48, was charged with a number of felonies for the May 2 shooting, including first-degree assault, criminal possession of a firearm, and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
“The video is definitely disturbing to watch,” Chester Town Supervisor Brandon Holdridge told WABC. “I can’t imagine what was going through minds in that scenario. It’s really just shock and disbelief.”
Holdridge said his office has faced a barrage of phone calls since the shooting from community members calling for Reilly’s removal from his position. The victim’s family is also calling for Reilly to be fired.
Holdridge released an official statement shortly after the shooting, saying that the Town Board has no control over Reilly’s position as highway superintendent since he was elected to the role.
“He’s an elected official, so that means we have no power over him to resign,” Holdridge told News 12 Westchester.
Reilly was jailed on $250,000 cash bail, $500,000 bond, and $750,000 partially secured bond. Local news outlets say he’s bonded out of jail. The Orange County district attorney told News 12 that his next court appearance was cancelled after two town judges recused themselves from his case.
An Orange County grand jury has not yet officially indicted him in his case either. No new court date has been set for Reilly.
State Police are still investigating the shooting. Because Reilly is a federally licensed arms dealer, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms is also looking into the case. The Orange County district attorney’s office said his firearms have been seized under an extreme risk protection order.
