Suspect Charged With Attempted Murder in Chappaqua Shooting
Downtown Chappaqua’s serenity was suddenly shattered Monday morning by gunfire outside Lange’s Little Store & Delicatessen on King Street where two men were wounded, including the former supervisor of the alleged assailant.
New Castle police apprehended 49-year-old Hengjun Chao of Tuckahoe at about 7 a.m., moments after the shooting in the Walgreen’s parking lot across the street where he had parked, said Police Chief Charles Ferry.
Chao was charged late Monday with attempted murder in New Castle Justice Court. He was held at the Westchester County Jail in Valhalla pending his next court date.
Ferry said the suspect had a shotgun in the trunk of his car when he was approached by officers. He did not resist arrest or look to flee the scene and later cooperated with authorities, he said.
Detectives are continuing their investigation but the chief said that Chao was apparently seeking revenge against his intended target, which was later revealed to be Chappaqua resident Dr. Dennis Charney, dean of the school of medicine at Mt. Sinai Medical Center.
While details of the relationship between the suspect and his target were still unknown on Monday, it appeared that Chao was a researcher or a doctor who had worked under Charney, perhaps as many as nine or 10 years ago, Ferry said.
“It’s possibly anger toward one of the victims, obviously, because of a past employment action,” Ferry said.
Police did not reveal the identity of the second victim.
Both victims were transported to Westchester Medical Center to be treated for their wounds. Charney remained in the hospital in stable condition Monday afternoon with non-life threatening injuries. The other victim, who was hit by spray from the buck shot, was treated and released, Ferry said.
It is unclear how many shots were fired, police said. There are 20 pellets in a single buck shot, which may have led to early witness accounts reporting that there were eight or nine shots, said Ferry. There were also multiple gunshot holes seen in the deli’s glass door.
“We believe there were only one or two shots fired,” the chief said.
The turn of events was shocking for the town because of Chappaqua’s reputation as an upscale community with a low crime rate. Former President Bill Clinton has also been known to frequent the store. It is a short distance from Bill and Hillary Clinton’s Old House Lane home.
“Residents should be assured that the town’s police officials are working diligently to investigate this morning’s tragic shooting at Lange’s Deli,” town Supervisor Robert Greenstein said in a statement earlier in the day.
King Street was closed between Route 117 and Poillon Drive following the shooting. It was reopened about 3 p.m.
John Chung, owner of Town & Country Cleaners in the shopping center across the street from Lange’s, said when he arrived to open his shop at about 6:50 a.m. there was police tape blocking off the site and what appeared to be police markings on the ground outside the shop.
“(I’m) very surprised,” Chung said. “This is a quiet town here.”
He said he has known the deli’s owners for a long time and they are very nice people.
Anyone with additional information is asked to call the New Castle Police Detective Division at 914-238-7295 or the main desk at 914-238-4423.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
