WEST ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) -- A drunken man barricaded himself inside the home of an acquaintance for 14 hours on Monday, sexually assaulting a child and slitting the throat of a grandmother who was baby-sitting before shooting himself dead, police said.
The woman who lives at the home returned around 12:30 a.m. and found her mother, Joanna White, 59, lying in a pool of blood in the garage, Suffolk County police said.
Phillip Zagarella, looming in the doorway with a rifle, yelled for the woman to get inside, but she ran to a neighbor's home and called police to say her two children, ages 10 and 13, were still inside, Detective Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick said.
Zagarella, 50, apparently went upstairs in the home and assaulted one child after he slit White's throat, killing her, police said. The children were let go a few hours later.
Police said they negotiated with Zagarella by telephone for hours and sent a robot to try to get inside, but Zagarella shot at it with the rifle. When police, who also used tear gas, entered the home around 2:50 p.m., Zagarella was already dead.
Police said they weren't sure why he took the family hostage, but they said he had worked for the woman's ex-husband in construction, had been convicted of attempted murder and was a recovering alcoholic.
About 15 surrounding homes were evacuated, and residents at others were told to remain inside. Many residents spent their Memorial Day waiting to get back into their houses.
Posted by: Sniper
Jesus !!!!
Posted by: KozmoKramer
That scumbag got off way too easy.
Posted by: Delta784
A perfect example of why my old S&W Model 10 sits loaded in my lockbox when I'm not home, and my wife knows how to use it.
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