Prosecutor: Off-duty New York officer fatally shot neighbor

CORNWELL, N.Y. (AP) — An off-duty police officer shot and killed his neighbor outside of his home in New York state, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler announced Tuesday.

Hoovler was joined by police officials outside of the Orange County Government Center in Cornwall to announce that Erick Gilmore was killed Monday night following an altercation with an unidentified Ramapo police officer, the Times Herald-Record reported.

The prosecutor declined to name the officer, but the Times Herald-Record reported county property records indicated the home belons to longtime Ramapo detective Robert Fitzgerald.

Cornwall Police Chief Todd Hazard said during the press briefing that the officer did not use his service gun in the shooting.

Capt. Brian Webster of the State Police told reporters that there were no witnesses to the shooting. Ramapo Police Chief Brad Weidel said his department was cooperating with the state police investigation.

“It looks like it was one neighbor involved with another neighbor,” Hoovler said.

Hoovler said his office will investigate the shooting with state police and report the findings to a grand jury to determine whether charges are warranted. He said it is unclear when the case would be heard as a grand jury has not convened during the coronavirus pandemic and there is a large backlog of cases awaiting their return.