From the NY Times:A retired New York City correction captain working security at a Queens bowling alley shot and wounded two men during a violent confrontation early Saturday morning outside the alley, the authorities said.
The retired officer, Michael Iavecchio, 54, was charged with two counts of second-degree assault after the 1:50 a.m. shooting outside the AMF 34th Avenue Lanes, at 6910 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights, the police said.
The two wounded men, both 29, were in stable condition at Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens on Saturday, the police said. The police did not identify them.
The violence unfolded after Mr. Iavecchio, who was armed, asked the men to leave because they were smoking cigarettes in a vestibule, according to the police. Mr. Iavecchio then escorted the men outside, where the ensuing fight and shooting were captured on a surveillance video, a law enforcement official said.
According to the official, words were exchanged and the two men “put their hands” on Mr. Iavecchio. He pulled out a .380-caliber Ruger pistol, but the men “go back at him and he shoots,” the official said.
Mr. Iavecchio fired two shots; one bullet hit one of the men in the chest and the other hit the second man in the stomach, the police said.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was still open, said that detectives were conferring with prosecutors from Queens County, and that it was unclear whether the two wounded men would also be charged with a crime. Detectives at the 115th Precinct station house were reviewing the video. The official added that Mr. Iavecchio had an active and unrestricted license to carry a concealed weapon.
The Daily News reports that the smokers were also arrested.
33 comments:
Since when is a clear case of self defense become 2nd degree assault felony ?
They had ample warning. They threatened him twice. They got what they deserved.
Someone pulls a gun out and instead of leaving they lunge at him?
How stupid can they be?
Stupid smokers. Wouldn't go outside because it was cold, so they decided to smoke in the building's lobby.
They might have charged him because under the law, self-defense only applies if the action is reasonable in comparison to the threat.
Meaning, if someone grabs a baseball to attack you, you can't take out your gun, shoot, and claim self defense.
Unless you're a cop in Jamaica.
Hey what wrong here? The retired cop defended himself. If I were in his shoes would I stand there and get pummeled and have my weapon taken away and used against me? No way - so why is he the bad guy?
Granted I have not been in that bowling alley since before the world wide web was invented, but it did have a bar and if you substitute "drunks" for "smokers" the whole story comes into focus ;)
its so unfair that good man was doing his job and protecting people from those animals and now he is in trouble what kind of law wehave in this country
im a good friend of Mike I. he is very good man and very honest and he was just protecting himself from bad guys.
Do people really bowl at 2am?
They were SMOKING?!?!
G, if you alone and carrying a gun and are threatened with physical violence by two men (with or without a baseball bat), the risk is the first punch, kick, etc. is going to disable you, and enable them to take the gun from you, and you are then killed by the attackers with your own gun.
he was security, he had the option of going back inside, locking the door behind him and calling police to take care of the matter. Basically under self-defense, you have exhausted reasonable alternatives to using a weapon. You don't pull out your ace when the card to beat is a three.
Another possibility might be that he was charged with a crime because he is not allowed to carry a gun as a security officer?
Hopefully he has a nys armed guard license.Unless someone is using deadly physical force against him or another person,you must retreat,unless you are a police/peace officer.
The perps were named in the Post article: Gerard Hourigan and Justin Donaghy. Both were in stable condition last night and were charged with menacing.
If you weren't there then you shouldn't act like you know the story. His job is and armed security officer and yes, he is allowed to carry a gun, that's why he has that job. It wasn't just because they were smoking so get the facts before you make comments. You shouldn't believe everything you read in the paper anyway. And as someone else stated, as an officer is being attacked by 2 men is he supposed to allow the men to attack him and then the weapon gets into their hands?? Officers are trained to do their job and trained well, he was doing his job.
Unless you're a cop in Jamaica.
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I seem to remember something about the shootee using a car to try to run the over the officers in that incident. Did you conveniently forget that little fact just so you could needlessly bash cops that were defending themselves?
I'm a personal friend of the two victims and I want everyone to know, don't believe everything you see in the news and read in the papers! The cops are as usual, sticking to their own, they can do no wrong, it's one law for them and one for us; they are trying to incriminate my two friends. What the articles did not mention was, that their two wives were with them, and both have clean records, and are hard working family guys! They did not expect to be in Elmhurst hospital with stapled up stomachs and a dozen tubes coming from them; Just because some ex cop, Bruce Willis wannabe wants to act the tough guy. How many men, women and children are going to die before America changes it's gun policies,?! so A**holes like Mr. Levecchio can't ruin lives and businesses. I hope justice prevails and not the usual swept under the carpet deal!
Also, I don't know where they got htat they lunged at the guy with the gun, that did NOT happen!! One guy was outside in the car park and the ex cop comes from inside and shoots him point blank in the stomach. While holding his stomach, his wife along with the other guy and his wife come out and the ex cop turns his gun on him and shoots him in the stomach as well with the wives next to him! That story being told is not right, I don't know where that was gotten from! PEACE.
They got it from the tape, apparently.
first of all, why does a bowling alley have armed security?this area of jackson heights aint no way near like south jamaica. secondly, he's a "retired" cop. put the gun away, or at least conceal it. finnally, is a bullet an equal match for shoving?
New York City has the toughest gun policies in the nation. What more do you want?
He wasn't an ex-cop, he was an ex-corrections officer. And in fact, the two agencies can barely tolerate each other. So you have no idea what you are talking about.
Yes, let's unarm every peace officer and former peace officer and make sure that only the criminals have guns.
"One guy was outside in the car park and the ex cop comes from inside and shoots him point blank in the stomach. While holding his stomach, his wife along with the other guy and his wife come out and the ex cop turns his gun on him and shoots him in the stomach as well with the wives next to him!"
If this is true, I'm sure it will be shown on the tape. And if true, he would have been charged with attempted murder, not assault. So it sounds like a crock of a story.
Close personal friend, do you expect us to believe that for no reason at all, your two friends were shot by an off-duty former corrections captain?
I cant believe the comments that are being left by people that obviously have nothing better to do but point blame. none of you were there so you dont know what happened. We are all human and are allowed make mistakes. Are you all perfect?? What has the world come to when if you have an confrontation with someone you can just pull out a gun and shoot them!
he was charged with the least crime the police could charge him with but lets wait and see what his final charge will be when these two ment get their legal representation working for them. truth is he shot one man first and when his friend with their wives came out he shot the other. if they were drunk and disorderly during the night why didnt he call the cops to have them evicted instead of taking the law into his own hands. a hidden gun on his possesion gave him the right to hassle these men. the truth will come out and it will show it wasnt these 2 men that caused the crime. and as the cops reporting to the press they couldnt even get the details of where these 2 men that were shot correct
"There, the men, who sources said were drunk, allegedly charged at him."
Probably threatened to kill him. Typical Irish trash.
Menacing (in some states known as brandishing) is a violent crime in most state jurisdictions of the United States. Although the wording and degrees of offense vary slightly from state to state, the criminal act of menacing generally consists of displaying a weapon to a person with the intention of threatening them with bodily harm from said weapon.
The two thugs were charged with menacing. They had weapons.
Good shot!
My husband and I are friends with one of the guys who got shot. This guy and his wife are decent, kind, hardworking people. They are not aggressive or rowdy drunkards, as being depicted in the media. This is an extremly false representation of the situation, and the victims involved. We cannot imagine our friend "lunging" at anyone or starting a fight, it is not in his nature. I think this is a case of a trigger-happy security guard, who forgot where he was, a bowling alley, not inside a prison.
The two guys who were shot WERE NOT carrying weapons. Such ignorant, stupid comments. Seriously get your facts straight before you comment.
You can't be charged with menacing unless you are carrying a weapon. And something not normally used as a weapon can become one if it is pointed at or waved in the face of someone. A bottle would suffice.
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