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Chief's report deniedsays son unarmed when police shot himrazor away and drew a pistol and said he was going to shootMrs. Berlene Caldwell, left, holding her two-year-old grandson, Richard lee, Miss Fannie Caldwell, Miss Irene Colvin and Miss Dorothy Worded, give their version ofa Sunday morning incident in which Mrs. Caldwell's son, tdward, was crrtkaHy shot by a Newburgh patrolman.— TH-Rocord photo by David FrairMotherBy DAVID FRAIRNEWBURGH The mother of Edward Caldwell, Jr., 19, of 78 Johnston St., Newburgh, critically wounded early Sunday morning when he was shot by a Newburgh patrolman, said Monday she and several other witnesses to the incident are willing to testify that police falsely reported the shooting.Mrs. Berlene Caldwell, 38, of the same address, said she will contact the Orange Coanty district attorney’s office to charge that her son was inarmed when he was shot by Patrolman Thomas Wohlrab a host 2 a.m. Sunday.Meanwhile Acting City Judge Albert S. MacDowell issued three warrants Monday for Caldwell’sarrest.Caldwell is listed in critical condition in the intensive care unit at St. Luke’s Hospital, Newburgh, with a bullet wound of the right shoulder. The warrants charge him with reckless endangerment, menacing and illegal possession of a dangerous weapon, a 38-caliber revolver.Mrs. Caldwell, her daughter Fannie, 17, Miss Irene Colvin, 28, of 140 Third St. and Miss Dorothy Worded, 19, also of 140 Third St.,said they would testify to thefollowing account:All four said they were standing In front of Mario’s Bar at 88 Broadway when a man of about23, known only as Gene, got into anargument with a man named Napoleon Herring, 28, of 2S Bridge St., Newburgh.They said Gene wielded a straight razor threatening to cutan unknown person when Herringinterceded. Gene then put theHerring.Caldwell, who his mother said was a “friend” of Gene’s, then attempted to mediate the argument but Gene pointed the pistol on Caldwell and told him to stay back.Gene then fired his pistol into the air three or four times, aiming toward Newburgh city hall across Broadway from the bar.After the shots Gene ran toward the Newburgh Savings Bank parking lot, east of Mario’s on Broadway. Tke crowd, including Caldwell followed him. They said Caldwell was still trying to talk Gene into putting away the pistol.Four policemen came across Broadway from the police station in city hall with pistols drawn, they said.The next thing the witnesses heard was one shot, coming from the direction of the police and Caldwell saying, “Oh Ma. I’m shot.”They said the youth slumped to the parking lot pavement. Another witness, Miss Cassandra Walker, a nurse’s aide, came over to assist him. They said she tried to keep him from “closing his eyes” oran handbag. Police spotted the pistol and took it away from the woman but did not arrest her, they said.Meanwhile the man known as Gene kept running and was not pursued by police.Mrs. Caldwell said subsequently she learned that her son would be charged.She said Monday as many asPolice chief Humbert Cappelli reported Sunday that Patrolman Wohlrab was at police headquarters when he heard the shots and left the building with anundisclosed number of unnamed police officers.The Cappelli report said Wohlrab and the other officers weot across the street to investigate and spotted Caldwellin the parking lot firing a pistol atan anidentified fleeing person.According to the official police release Wohlrab orderedCaldwell to drop his weapon, he refused and Wohlrab fired his service revolver strikingCaldwell.He was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital by ambulance.Newburgh city manager Theodore W. Maurer, who serves as public safety commissioner and head of the police department said Monday night he had no comment to make on the allegations.Chief Cappelli was unavailable for comment.going into shock.They recalled they said that when Gene bad started shooting a woman they said they could only 50 people had been standing in ideitify by face, drew a pistol from front of the bar or had left the barafter the first shots were fired and witnessed the incident.
Newspaper Details
The Times Herald Record
Middletown, New York, US
Tue, Apr 20, 1971
Page 49
Full Page
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USA 07 Mar 2019
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