Appalling moment town official fires gun at defenseless DoorDash driver who had stopped for directions
Shocking footage has been released of New York highway superintendent allegedly opening fire on a lost food delivery driver, striking the man in the back as he attempted to drive away after becoming lost and asking for directions.
John J. Reilly III, 48, an elected official for the Town of Chester and a federally licensed firearms dealer, is at the center of a criminal investigation into what law enforcement and town officials are calling an appalling and senseless act of violence.
A young man had been doing his best to deliver food for DoorDash in a town he barely knew when he pulled into a rural driveway to ask for help.
Minutes later, he was bleeding from wounds after being shot as he was attempting to drive out of Reilly's drive.
It was around 9:50pm on Friday May 2 when the 24-year-old delivery driver who had recently moved to Middletown found himself lost on the dark, winding backroads of Chester, roughly 60 miles north of New York City.
After his phone battery had died leaving him without any GPS, the man decided to knock on the door of a nearby house to ask for help.
According to New York State Police, the driver eventually reached Reilly's home.
What happened next was captured on doorbell camera footage and is now part of a police investigation. One town official described, it is 'disturbing to watch.'
Reilly came to the door armed and could be heard on the footage shouting at the driver to leave.
The delivery worker turned to comply and returned to his Toyota Corolla that was parked in the driveway.
The video sees Reilly firing a warning shot whilst yelling 'go!' before letting loose with at least two more rounds, one of which tore through the victim's car and into his body.
'He just started shooting at him,' a family member told reporters. 'He [the victim] thought his life was over.'
Incredibly, the wounded man managed to drive himself home, where he collapsed and was rushed to Garnet Health Medical Center.
He underwent emergency surgery and is now expected to require a second operation. Authorities say the injuries are non-fatal but potentially life-altering.
Brandon Holdridge, the Chester Town Supervisor, initially issued a measured statement but after seeing the footage, his tone shifted dramatically.
'I can't imagine what was going through minds in that scenario,' Holdridge said to ABC7. 'It's really just shock and disbelief.
'It's unfortunate that he was lost and his phone apparently was on 1% or something,' Holdridge added. 'I feel terrible for him. I hope that he makes a full and healthy recovery.'
Despite the graphic nature of the incident, Reilly was released from jail after posting $250,000 bail.
He faces multiple felony charges, including first-degree assault, criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal possession of a firearm.
The victim's family is calling for Reilly's immediate removal from office, but as Holdridge confirmed, Reilly is an elected official, and under New York state law, he cannot be removed unless he resigns.
The shooting has prompted outrage from DoorDash, the delivery platform the driver had been working for
Meanwhile, DoorDash, the company the victim worked for, issued a strongly worded statement condemning the shooting.
'We're devastated by this senseless act of violence,' the company said. 'No one should ever fear for their safety just for trying to make deliveries in their neighborhood. We're wishing the Dasher a full and speedy recovery.'
Reilly's background also adds a disturbing layer to the case. Not only is he a town official, he is also a federally licensed firearms dealer, a person authorized under federal law to sell weapons.
'There's nothing to indicate the victim had any nefarious intentions,' said State Police Capt. Joseph Kolek. 'He's just out there doing his job, trying to make a food delivery.'
That status has intensified scrutiny over whether someone in such a position should have opened fire under such circumstances.
'There's nothing to indicate the victim had any nefarious intentions,' said State Police Capt. Joseph Kolek. 'He's just out there doing his job, trying to make a food delivery.'
The Chester Police Department has recused itself from the case due to Reilly's political role, and the New York State Police and ATF are now handling the investigation.
The Orange County District Attorney's Office confirmed that a grand jury is considering whether to indict Reilly.
A preliminary hearing in Chester Town Court is scheduled for Friday.
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The government has also asked to recall Dr Hughes, a psychologist who spoke earlier in the trial, talking about 'trauma bonds' between an abuser and their victim. Both of these issues are expected to be addressed by Judge Arun Subramanian tomorrow. 14:02:38 Welcome back We are back with our live coverage of the trial of hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, on day 19 of the trial. Proceedings at the federal court in Manhattan are due to start at around 2pm UK time. We are scheduled to hear more evidence today from a former partner of Combs, testifying under the pseudonym "Jane". It's her third day on the witness stand, as we begin week five of the trial. 22:31:00 What you need to know after day 18 of Diddy's trial - scroll down to catch up An anonymous former girlfriend and alleged victim of Sean "Diddy" Combs continued her evidence against the rapper on the 18th day of his sex-trafficking trial. If you're just checking in, here's a round-up of all the key updates: Jane began her evidence by telling jurors that Combs would become "incensed" if she asked for the "entertainer" to wear a condom, adding the rapper said he "didn't want to see a rubber while he was watching"; As she began to recall "hotel nights" she became emotional in court, saying she was given "multiple doses" of ecstasy to keep her awake with the longest session lasting around three days; She explained that she felt she had to take the drugs "because when I wouldn't it would just feel too real"; Recalling a sobriety party in Beverly Hills, she said she went to the bathroom after having sex with two men and threw up, but Combs told her "let's go, third guy is here"; Jane said Diddy would call an assistant or security when he ran out of drugs, and told the court she also picked up a "white envelope" of drugs and "put it in my luggage" for Combs; Explaining how "entertainers" were chosen, Jane said Combs chose who took part in the hotel nights at first, before she then started to pick them from late 2021 because she "didn't like to be surprised by a stranger"; But she recalled one occasion when she was "repulsed" by an entertainer who she described as being "really sweaty" and "smelled"; Jane said Combs filmed hotel nights "several times" and even directed what he wanted her to do - from putting baby oil on the man to touching herself; The rapper also asked her to get nipple piercings because "that's what he wanted from his girl" and paid for her veneers as "he didn't like my teeth"; In a voice note played out to jurors, Combs told Jane "I can do whatever the f*** I want" after she said she needed a "breather and a break" from him; Jane will return to the stand to continue her evidence on Monday. 21:59:59 Court finishes for the day It's just reaching 5pm in New York, and that's all we're going to hear from Jane today. She will return on Monday to continue giving evidence. We'll be back with a recap of today's hearing soon - in the meantime scroll through our posts to catch up on what was said in court. 21:57:58 'At any moment he could cut me off', Jane says after Diddy voice note left her 'cold' Jurors are played an audio message from Sean "Diddy" Combs to Jane after an argument between the pair in August 2023. "I'm not going to be playing these games with you at all, nah, you are going to have a rude awakening, you will have silence," he said. "You can be mad and have a spat, that's all it is, you got me on my job, it will never work like that over here, you need to get on your job... I am trying to be clear, I am going to disappear on you." When asked about what she thought Diddy meant by saying he was going to disappear on her, Jane says she was "pretty alarmed by that message". "I was just really cold and its true that at any moment he could just do that if he wanted to... cut me off." Prosecutor Maurene Comey asks Jane what Diddy meant by telling her "you need to get on your job". "Expectations of me," she replied. "Taking care of him, being good to him, making sure he's happy. That included these nights." 21:34:20 Jane tells jurors Combs 'didn't like my teeth' and wanted her to get veneers Jane tells jurors that she got veneers after the Turks and Caicos trip because Combs "didn't like my teeth". "After the Turks trip he paid for my teeth," she says. "I got veneers because Combs didn't like my teeth... he wanted me to get new veneers. He gave me the appointment." She says Combs was also paying for her rent, and still is. In March 2023, she said that she and Combs made an agreement that he would pay her a monthly allowance. "I said 15,000 and he said 10,000," Jane says. "I started looking for new places and moved into a new home and used that budget... I had been giving him all my love and this was him giving me something." But she says the allowance was not enough to furnish her new home after moving in April 2023. "I opened three credit cards and went into debt," she adds. 21:23:19 Jane says Diddy made her apologise to entertainer after storming out of hotel on 'birthday make-up trip' After Jane fought with Combs following her birthday in 2023 that ended in a hotel night, the rapper continued to call and text her. Jane tells jurors she scheduled a trip to Paris for Fashion Week, and it was the first time she had gone on a solo trip in over two years. But a few hours before her flight, Jane says Combs repeatedly texted her and called her phone "like 30 times in a row". After she got back from Paris, she began talking to Combs again, adding "he was adamant we should see each other, and I missed him as well". Jane says Combs told her to visit Miami so they could arrange a "birthday make-up trip" and testifies that they planned the trip to Turks and Caicos. But on the second day of that trip, Paul, an entertainer, arrived at the hotel. "I remember it was really painful and me and Paul tried to have sex but I really couldn't... I was very sore at this point," she tells jurors. She says Combs got "very upset" so she threw a bracelet he had given her against the wall and stormed out of the villa. Jane adds that Combs told her to apologise to Paul. 21:07:30 In pictures: Diddy's alleged victim weeps in court - as mogul looks on during her testimony Courtroom sketches from today's proceedings show Jane, an alleged victim of Combs, weeping on the stand - and of the producer-turned rapper watching her give testimony. 20:52:49 Jane wrote 'you're a pathological liar' about Combs in note Jurors are shown a note Jane wrote to herself on 12 February in 2023. She explains the note contains what she wanted to tell Combs. "If you don't want me, that's fine I just accept the fact that you are a pathological liar," she wrote in the note. Jane adds that she wrote the note so she could "think out what I was feeling", adding that notes were copied into texts. In a text to Combs, she told him "anything outside of the hotel I am a joke to you... romance is spending time with love and happiness, not someone you call on Friday to get high".
