Canaan, Conn. — The Connecticut man who owns the Ashley Falls property where a man was shot Tuesday evening (May 12), told The Edge that the victim, Joseph Race, is in stable condition at Albany Medical Center where he is recovering from surgeries to repair a single bullet wound to his abdomen.
Christopher Jordano of Canaan said he owns the mobile home at 30 Pine Lane in Ashley Falls, and that he had been to see his friend and tenant, Race, at the hospital last night (May 14).
“He’s in a lot of pain,” Jordano said. “He can’t eat or walk around. But the prognosis seems like he should be OK.”
Jordano, who owns Jordano Tree Services, says he was at home when the shooting occurred. Police came to his house in Canaan to question him soon after.
Jordano described what Race said happened — and what he said he was still uncertain about — in a quiet cul-de-sac behind Clayton Road off Route 7. The cul-de-sac is accessed by Pine Lane, which is a narrow dirt road.
Jordano said that “one or two black guys” in a silver Taurus with a rear spoiler — and possibly Connecticut plates — came up Pine Lane and parked in the driveway across from the 70-foot mobile home, about 100-feet away. One got out and came for the front door just as Race had entered. The suspect pushed his way inside and shot Race, after which Race, who Jordano says is a “tough guy,” grabbed his assailant’s arm to point the gun away from him. Several more shots were fired; Jordano said that investigators dug a bullet out of a two-by-four in the building.
Race then punched the suspect in the face when he tried to get back in, according to Jordano. The suspect ran away after Race “threw him out the door, locked him out and called 911.” Race then waited for the ambulance to arrive. He was soon airlifted to Albany Medical Center.
Jordano said he had made a post on his Facebook page saying he hoped that “whoever did this to someone I care about” was caught by police. But in doing so he used what many consider a racial slur and, he said, that it was not his intention. He was aggrieved by other news reports that, he said, portrayed him as a racist. He said he uses the word “based on actions,” and whether or not someone is black or white. “It’s about how they act and treat others, and how they behave.”
Sheffield Police Chief Eric Munson III said that “the investigation is being conducted along with members of the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit and the Berkshire County Sheriffs Office.”
“The event was determined to be an isolated matter and was no threat to the general public,” Munson added, but police are asking those with information about the incident call the Sheffield Police Department at 413-229-8522.
To contact Heather Bellow about this story, call 413-329-6871, or email her at hbellow@theberkshireedge.com.
