A 62-year-old Castor Gardens man shot his next-door neighbor in the kneecap before returning home and reporting himself to police.
It happened at about 12:10 p.m. on Sunday on the 2200 block of Disston St. The victim, a 55-year-old man, was standing with his son and wife at his front door speaking with his next door neighbor, when the conversation escalated into hostility, said Lt. Dennis Rosenbaum of Northeast Detectives. The gunman was identified as Joseph Higgins, 62.
The victim, who does not speak English, was attempting to use his cell phone to video record Higgins, when Higgins allegedly pulled a gun and fired two shots. One slug struck the victim in the kneecap, while another hit a window frame. Higgins then went to his own home and called 911. He told the operator that he had shot his neighbor, Rosenbaum said.
Police went to Higgins’ house, found the unloaded gun on his coffee table and arrested him. He was charged with attempted murder and multiple counts of aggravated assault. ••
