“I’ve lived in Manhattan, I’ve lived in San Francisco, I’ve lived in Boston, and nothing ever happened. I move to Suffolk County, in a retirement community, and my neighbor shoots me in the face.”
Billed as a peaceful haven for its 55-and-over inhabitants, Belmont Vistas Senior Apartments never could have anticipated such a police presence on their suddenly violent grounds.
An elderly woman reportedly opened fire on the object of her ire with a flare gun at the aforementioned West Babylon retirement community on Monday, September 8th.
The incident took place during the evening hours after an argument broke out between Kathleen Schuman, 76, and Richard Cutrone, 67.
In home surveillance footage broadcast by NBC New York, Cultrone is shown holding his dog on a leash while in stern conversation with Schuman, who is shown manning her post with a curious weapon in hand as she braves for a standoff straight out of her own neo-Western film.
The dog is scared off by the sudden pull of the trigger, and a wounded Cutrone lunges forward to subdue Schuman before further escalation can transpire.
Police and the development have yet to reveal what exactly prompted the altercation, though a spokesman for Conifer LLC. — the management company at the helm of Belmont Vistas — weighed in with a statement.
“We are aware of an altercation that occurred yesterday evening between two residents,” they said.
“This was an isolated incident between individuals — the safety and well-being of our residents remain our top priority.”
The alleged perpetrator and the victim were hospitalized afterward and are expected to make full recoveries.