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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The NYPD posted a photo on social media of a “ghost gun” allegedly recovered from the suspect in a shooting in Eltingville.
Authorities allege that Dominick Giordano, 57, used the firearm to shoot a 41-year-old neighbor on Pompey Avenue early on Sunday morning after a dispute over fireworks escalated into violence.
The wife and daughter of the victim bore witness to the near-fatal incident, according to prosecutors with the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office.
A post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by the 123rd Precinct credits Lt. Hachemeister, Assistant Det. Hepworth and Officer Quagliata for “getting this gun off the streets of the 123 after apprehending a suspect for a shooting.”
“One ghost gun recovered after search warrant was executed,” the post reads.
Officers armed with a search warrant swarmed the suspect’s home and property on the 400 block of Pompey Avenue on Sunday at about 5:45 p.m., according to police.
Officers recovered a Polymer 80 “ghost gun” in the backyard, court documents allege.
The bullets in the weapon were 9 mm, matching that of a shell casing found at the scene, prosecutors said Monday.
Dominick Giordano was arraigned Monday in Criminal Court, accused of shooting a neighbor in the back during what sources described as a dispute over fireworks. (Gregory P. Mango /pool)Gregory P. Mango / pool
SHOOTING EARLY ON SUNDAY MORNING
Police responded to the scene of the shooting around 12:20 a.m on Pompey Avenue in what started as a dispute over fireworks, sources previously told the Advance/SILive.com. A “Happy 16th Birthday” banner was on display in the victim’s yard on Monday.
Giordano first pointed a gun at the victim’s forehead, then opened fire as the man turned to walk away, according to a criminal complaint filed by investigators.
Giordano allegedly discharged a firearm, striking the 41-year-old man in the rear torso. The 41-year-old was transported in stable condition to Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze, the police spokesman said.
Giordano was arraigned on Monday in Criminal Court for charges that include second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, criminal use of a firearm and endangering the welfare of a child in connection with the shooting, court records show.
Ghost guns, which are illegally manufactured and untraceable by authorities, have become a focal point of local and federal law enforcement in recent years.
Judge John McPadden issued full orders of protection for the victim’s wife and daughter, who is a minor.
Defense attorney Eliza Pacheco with the Legal-Aid Society requested an exception for incidental contact, given the fact the family lives directly across the street from the defendant. But that was denied by McPadden, who cited the serious nature of the charges.
When McPadden asked the defendant if he understood the conditions of those orders, Giordano replied, “clearly.”
The defendant has a rap sheet that includes multiple violent felonies, qualifying him as a persistent felon in New York with the potential. If convicted on the latest charges he faces lifetime parole, the judge noted. His record also prohibits him from owning a firearm.
The bail requested, Pacheco furthered, was not something Giordano could reasonably attain, noting he works as a mover for a commercial kitchen equipment company making about $50,000 per year. She said he also is dealing with undisclosed medical conditions.
The felonies are all at least 20 years old, said Pacheco, and her client just wants to spend time with his “daughter, who is about to graduate college” and “his six grandchildren.”
McPadden deemed the charges were not sensationalized, given the fact the victim was shot in the back and nearly killed. He set bail higher than what prosecutors requested at $1 million cash, $2 million partially secured bond at a 10% undertaking or $2 million dollars insurance company bond.
“I think this very easily, by a matter of inches or fractions of inches, could be a remand case as a murder,” McPadden said.
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