Life inside a retirement community is supposed to be quiet. Residents tend to worry about routine things—doctor’s visits, bingo nights, maybe whose turn it is to trim the hedges. But in West Babylon, New York, the peace shattered this week in spectacular fashion when police say a 76-year-old woman shot her neighbor in the face with a flare gun during an argument.
The incident happened on Monday evening at the Belmont Villas Senior Apartments, a complex reserved for residents over 55. Suffolk County police say Kathleen Schuman and her 67-year-old neighbor, Richard Catrone,were engaged in a running dispute for months over their pets. It escalated on Sept. 8 into a confrontation that left Catrone with six stitches in his cheek and Schuman facing a felony assault charge.
Court records show Schuman has been charged with second-degree assault with an incendiary device. She pleaded not guilty at her arraignment Tuesday, with bail set at $5,000 cash. A judge also ordered her to stay away from Catrone. Schuman has denied the allegations, though police say home security video captured the incident clearly.
The footage, obtained by NBC New York, shows Catrone outside with his dog when a woman with her back to the camera lifts a flare gun and fires at him at close range. The flare strikes his face, and Catrone stumbles before charging at her, releasing his dog’s leash and grabbing the woman by the hair. He strikes her once in the head and can be heard shouting: “[You] idiot! What is wrong with you?”
Catrone later told reporters that he acted to protect himself and his dog. “My next inclination was to get the gun and I knocked it out of her hand,” he said. According to his account, Schuman showed “no emotion” afterward and even told him, “Sorry I missed.”
Neighbors described the conflict between the two as long-simmering, centered on their pets. “He said her cat was always upsetting his dog and she would sit outside with it,” said Mary Neitzel, who lives in the same complex. Schuman had even moved in with her sister for a time, Neitzel added, only to return a week before the altercation reignited.
Catrone, for his part, insisted the dispute was more mundane. “I just asked her, can you keep the cat inside, and that started the situation,” he told NBC New York. He said he had filed complaints with Conifer LLC, the company that manages the retirement community, but felt little was done.
In a statement, Conifer characterized the violence as an isolated clash. “We are aware of an altercation that occurred yesterday evening between two residents,” the company said. “This was an isolated incident between individuals and unrelated to the community itself. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement. The safety and well-being of our residents remain our top priority.”
Both Schuman and Catrone were treated at local hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries. The case heads back to court on Friday, with prosecutors likely to rely heavily on the video evidence.
