John Reilly III, a highway superintendent from Chester, New York, has been accused of shooting and wounding a DoorDash driver on May 2, 2023. The incident occurred approximately 60 miles north of Manhattan, and Reilly has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempted murder, first-degree assault, and various weapons offenses. His attorney, Thomas Kenniff, argues that Reilly was acting in defense of his family, fearing a home invasion.

According to prosecutors, the shooting was unprovoked. They allege that the DoorDash driver was lost and his cellphone battery was dead when he approached Reilly’s home to check if the food he was delivering had been ordered. However, Kenniff claims that the driver insisted on entering Reilly's home to charge his phone, prompting Reilly to respond with concern for his family’s safety.

The situation escalated when Reilly, who was awakened by his daughter after the doorbell rang, confronted the driver at his front door. Reilly reportedly told the driver he had not made any orders. When the driver persisted, Kenniff claims Reilly warned him that he would retrieve a gun for protection, a precaution some rural residents take amid a growing concern about home invasions.

Ring doorbell footage obtained by local TV stations details the sequence of events. One clip shows the delivery driver ringing the doorbell and approaching the front door with a plastic bag. Shortly afterward, Reilly can be seen exiting his home with a firearm, firing a shot into his lawn while instructing the driver to leave. As the driver attempted to exit the property, Reilly fired additional shots at the vehicle.

Kenniff insisted that the videos do not convey the entire context of the situation. He maintained that Reilly's actions were motivated by a genuine concern for his family's safety and that there was no intended harm toward the driver. "My client reasonably believed that there was a threat," Kenniff stated, emphasizing that the shots fired were meant to compel the driver to leave rather than to inflict injury.

In addition to the shooting incident, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Reilly's residence, where they uncovered eight firearms that were possessed illegally. Among these was the .45-caliber handgun utilized in the shooting. While Reilly held a federal license to sell firearms, he lacked the necessary New York state firearms license or pistol permit, rendering his possession of these weapons illegal.

Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler condemned the incident, describing it as a "horrifying" act of violence. The unnamed DoorDash driver sustained serious injuries from the shooting, specifically being shot in the back. Reilly’s case has attracted significant attention, particularly regarding the implications of self-defense laws and the responsibilities of firearm ownership.

Reilly was arraigned at the Orange County courthouse in Goshen, where he pleaded not guilty and was released on bail. He is scheduled to return to court on July 2 for further proceedings in this contentious case, which raises questions about personal safety, firearms regulations, and the boundaries of self-defense.