9/11 First Responder Is Charged With Murder After Fast Food Shooting Incident

(RepublicanPress.org) – A member of law enforcement who formerly worked for the New York Police Department and was a 9/11 responder has been charged with murder. The individual was an off-duty officer with South Carolina’s Summerville Police Department (SPD) at the time of the incident. He allegedly shot another man following an altercation between the two outside a fast-food restaurant.

The SPD shared a live press conference on April 11 on Facebook. The department confirmed that officials charged 64-year-old Anthony DeLustro, who lost his job with the police force upon his formal indictment, with the murder of 39-year-old Winston-Salem resident Michael O’Neal.

The deadly incident allegedly began in a disagreement outside a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Summerville. A fight broke out between DeLustro and O’Neal, with DeLustro reportedly shouting slurs related to the victim being gay.

According to reports, eyewitness video shows the two engaged in a physical altercation just moments before the fatal shooting. The former officer allegedly flashed his badge and told the victim that he was under arrest, prompting him to flee to his car. DeLustro’s wife, who was present during the fight, attempted to restrain her husband as he moved to pursue the victim.

A witness stated that DeLustro threatened to shoot O’Neal if he tried to leave and that he entered the victim’s car on the passenger side. O’Neal yelled at the alleged aggressor to exit his vehicle, and then he attempted to drive away with DeLustro still clinging to his seat. The suspect is then accused of firing a single round, killing the victim.

SPD shared that it refers all cases of officer-involved shootings to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to investigate as an impartial third party. After considering the evidence in this case, SLED opted to move forward with the charges. The department believes DeLustro made a reckless decision when he brandished his weapon against the unarmed opponent and forced himself into O’Neal’s car.