NEW YORK — A grand jury indicted a New York town official with attempted murder after he shot a Black DoorDash delivery driver earlier this month as the driver was leaving the man’s property.
John Reilly III, the 48-year-old highway superintendent of Chester, a town about 80 miles north of New York City, is scheduled to be arraigned on June 9.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced the grand jury indictment on Monday. Reilly is facing additional charges, including two counts of first-degree assault, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree assault, and eight counts of criminal possession of a firearm.
Reilly was arrested by New York State Police (NYSP) the day after he shot the driver. He reportedly spent days in jail before posting bail.
The driver, a Middleton resident, was shot after he stopped at Reilly’s home while he was lost and looking for directions.
Newly-released video obtained by local news media shows the DoorDash driver approaching Reilly’s home while holding a plastic bag and ringing the doorbell. The driver waved his hand in the video, seemingly trying to get someone’s attention.
Reilly can be seen in the video wearing a red shirt, dark shorts, and a cross-body holster as he walks out of his house and fires a weapon. Reilly yelled “Go,” twice pointing his weapon at a vehicle ahead of him with headlights shining on Reilly’s home. The car can be seen in the video backing up and turning around before Reilly fires another shot from his yard. When Reilly fired another shot while the vehicle was driving away, the faint sound of a person crying can be heard in the distance before the video ends.
NYSP said the driver was struck in the back and transported to a hospital with serious injuries. He was expected to survive.
Authorities did not identify the victim, but said the DoorDash driver is a West African immigrant. They did not specify what country he immigrated from to the US.
Reilly’s attorney, Thomas Kenniff, told Times Union his client acted in self-defense and that the situation is more complex than it appears.
Kenniff, a founding partner of the firm Raiser & Kenniff, previously represented Daniel Penny, the former Marine charged with criminally negligent homicide after Jordan Neely was killed following being put in chokehold. Penny was acquitted in December.
A SUNY Orange spokesman confirmed to Times Union the driver was recently enrolled in English as a Second Language courses.
Reilly, a Republican, was first appointed highway superintendent in November 2021. He won a full term that November.
Since the shooting, local officials in the small town have increasingly called on Reilly to resign. After seeing Ring video of the shooting, the five-member Town Board called for Reilly’s immediate resignation.
BLKNewsNow.com will continue to follow this story.
