Chappaqua Deli Shooting Victim Testifies Against Suspect at Trial
The medical school dean targeted in last summer’s revenge shooting in front of a Chappaqua deli described Wednesday in court how he was shot by the alleged assailant and the circumstances that led to the incident.
Dr. Dennis Charney, the dean at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, took the stand in the trial of Tarrytown resident Hengjun Chao, 50, a research assistant professor who worked under Charney. Chao was fired in May 2009 by a committee that included Charney.
Chao, who is charged with three felony counts, including attempted murder, faces up to 25 years in prison.
During direct examination by Assistant District Attorney Christine O’Connor in Westchester County Court in White Plains, Charney testified he went to Lange’s, his usual spot to pick up his morning coffee and bagel before his commute.
But Aug. 29, 2016, was anything but a typical morning. As Charney was leaving Lange’s Little Store & Delicatessen on King Street at about 7 a.m. and approached his car, he heard a loud boom and saw blood pouring out of his shoulder. He said he retreated inside the store to receive assistance.
“My first reaction was I’ve got to get out of this situation,” Charney said. “My life was in danger.”
“I ran in. I yelled, ‘I’ve been shot,’” added Charney, who said he did not recognize the gunman at the time.
Charney was transported to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. Later, at his request, he was moved to Mount Sinai.
In addition to the gunshot wounds, Charney suffered broken ribs. He was in intensive care for five days before being released to convalesce at home.
“I had almost no range of motion in my right shoulder at this point,” Charney said of his gunshot wound.
He testified that Chao lost his job at Mount Sinai after the research assistant and a student were accused of changing data in a study involving mice.
An investigation into the allegations against Chao began in 2007, Charney said. Chao was fired on May 9, 2009. He said he had no contact with Chao since his firing.
Chao appealed his termination to a Mount Sinai faculty committee, but it was upheld six months later, Charney said. Chao then appealed his firing to a committee consisting of members of the school’s board of trustees. That appeal was also rejected in March 2010, Charney said.
Chao filed a federal lawsuit against the school, but that litigation was unsuccessful.
Defense attorney Stewart Orden sought to discredit Charney’s credibility during cross-examination.
Orden asked if some of the scientific articles he wrote in collaboration with other medical researchers were ghost written. Charney said they were not.
One article, published in a journal in 2006, omitted from the piece that Charney had a previous financial interest with a company that manufactured an anti-depressant, Orden said.
Orden then quizzed Charney about whether he received several thousand dollars in the past for providing his opinion to pharmaceutical companies about the effectiveness of drugs they were researching. Charney said prior to becoming dean he provided his opinions on potential new drugs with other researchers, but was paid just $1,000.
During that questioning, O’Connor objected to Judge Barry Warhit, contending lack of relevancy. Warhit allowed the questioning to continue, but at one point the judge briefly dismissed the jury to instruct Orden to ask questions in a proper manner.
Orden acknowledged during opening statements on Monday that Chao shot Charney but that he did not intend to kill him. Instead, he hoped the publicity would expose his former supervisor.
Chao continues to be held on $1 million bail.
Charney completed his testimony on Wednesday. The trial is scheduled to resume on Friday at 9:30 a.m.
