Yesterday afternoon, police blockaded the street near the intersection of Greenpoint Avenue and McGuinness Boulevard while they were dealing with a man who had barricaded himself in an apartment after shooting another man in the head. After a few hours, the suspect, Gene Barrett, surrendered to police and is now in custody. Barrett was a former NYPD police officer. The victim, Joseph Sapinski, is currently on life support.
Here’s what else we know (via Heavy):
The victim’s girlfriend is the building’s landlord, the New York Daily News reports.
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Barrett stole Sapinski’s keys and cell phone and locked himself inside the apartment, police told the Post. The motive has not yet been made public by police, but sources told the newspaper that Barrett claimed to have found hidden cameras in the apartment last week and confronted Sapinski about it.
The ex-cop was seen on video going through Sapinski’s pockets before entering the building, the Post reports.
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Police snipers were posted on nearby rooftops, an armored truck was brought to the scene and officers in tactical gear took up positions around the Greenpoint building where the shooting occurred.
An officer with a megaphone tried to convince the retired officer to surrender, the New York Daily News reports.
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According to the New York Post, Barrett is known to get into fights with other residents over parking, and has hung signs in the past urging drivers to stay away.
Police haven’t released a motive for the shooting.
Sources told the Post that Barrett flies off the handle “over anything and everything.”
He has made complaints about tenants and the FBI spying on him several times in the past, according to the Post.
Barrett also has made at least 12 complaints with local police for various things, including claims people let the air out of his tires to someone putting cameras in his yard.
“He’s a nut. He’s been arguing with his neighbors for over 10 years,” a police source told the Post.