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A jury has convicted John Reilly III, the Town of Chester’s highway superintendent, on felony assault and weapons charges after a shooting involving a lost DoorDash driver last May, according to Spectrum News. Reilly now faces up to 25 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for May.
The incident occurred on Thursday (May 2, 2025), when Alpha Barry, a DoorDash driver and recent immigrant from Guinea, approached Reilly’s Chester, New York home while lost and with a dead phone battery. Barry rang the doorbell carrying a bag of food, mistakenly thinking Reilly had placed the order. According to Newsday, video footage showed Barry returning to his car as Reilly exited his house with a handgun, fired a warning shot into the lawn, and then shot at Barry’s vehicle as he tried to leave. One of the bullets struck Barry in the lower back, causing critical injuries that required emergency surgery and the removal of more than two feet of his small intestine.
Reilly testified that he feared for his family's safety and believed Barry might invade the home, claiming self-defense. However, prosecutors argued Reilly acted with "depraved indifference to human life," noting he fired as Barry was driving away. Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler said after the verdict: "This defendant’s depraved indifference to human life was appalling and nearly resulted in the death of an innocent man." Mid Hudson News reports that authorities found eight unlicensed pistols in Reilly's home, which he was not legally permitted to possess.
The jury acquitted Reilly of attempted murder and one assault charge but found him guilty on another count of felony assault and multiple counts of illegal weapons possession. He was immediately remanded to jail without bail after the verdict. Reilly’s lawyer, Thomas Kenniff, said he plans to appeal, arguing that the "depraved indifference" charge was not appropriate for the case.
Under state law, Reilly must vacate his position as highway superintendent following the felony conviction. The town supervisor announced plans to appoint an interim replacement within a week.
Barry’s attorney, Rudyard Whyte, said the verdict was expected and that Barry is pursuing a civil lawsuit against Reilly and the Town of Chester.
Sentencing for Reilly is set for Thursday (May 18), when he could receive up to 25 years in prison. The case has drawn attention to the use of firearms in confrontations involving mistaken addresses and the limits of self-defense laws in New York.