A 9/11 first responder is in custody in South Carolina where he's accused of shooting dead a man he fought with in broad daylight in the parking lot of Chick-fil-A on March 20.
Anthony DeLustro, 64, who at the time of the shooting was a member of the Summerville Police Department in the Palmetto State, has been described as the 'aggressor' in the dispute by witnesses.
The incident occurred in the community of Summerville, just north west of Charleston.
Those witnesses said that DeLustro - who has since been fired - became embroiled in a dispute in the parking lot with Michael O'Neal, 39. It's not clear what led to the fight. Bystanders saw the pair get out of their cars in front of the restaurant and start to argue.
During the argument, DeLustro called O'Neal a homophobic slur. Despite repeated attempts by others, including DeLustro's wife, Pilar, to deescalate the situation, the former NYPD officer continued to try to fight O'Neal.
It culminated when DeLustro got into the passenger seat of O'Neal's car as the victim tried to drive away. As turned the engine one, DeLustro shot O'Neal, prosecutors said.
At a court hearing this week, DeLustro asked for mercy bringing up his heroism on 9/11 which saw him develop cancer, the tragedy of losing their special needs daughter, Kristina, in 2021 and raising two of their grandchildren.
Anthony DeLustro, 64, who at the time of the shooting was a member of the Summerville Police Department in the Palmetto State, he has since been fired, has been described as the 'aggressor' in the dispute by witnesses
Michael O'Neal, 39, pictured on a GoFundMe page that was set up by friends to help his family through this time
The Chick-fil-A restaurant in Summerville, South Carolina, where the shooting took place
'We've been raising them and sending them to Catholic school and trying to provide a good life for them. Just any the mercy you can show me, where I could be with them and help them get through this, I would appreciate,' reports The Post and Courier.
O'Neal came from a family of law enforcement officers. His father was a 30-year veteran of the Winston-Salem Police Department while his father was a former police chief in Burlington, North Carolina.
This week, WPDE reported that a personnel file on DeLustro mentioned that he had issues with his temper and that he had frustration with personnel.
Online records show that DeLustro was with the NYPD between December 1980 and February 2003. From there, he took a job in security at Trident Tech College in North Carolina. He began working in Summerville in 2007.
He left Summerville for the first time in 2009 to work at the College of Charleston Public Safety, Dorchester County Sheriff's Office and Citadel Public Safety. DeLustro took up a job in Summerville once again in January 2023.
However, Summerville Police Chief Doug Wright described DeLustro in complimentary terms during a press conference this week.
'I could tell you if we had some kind of indication that he was anything but that, he would not be allowed to continue his path in law enforcement – I’m sure.'
'But what I could tell you is he was very well respected amongst the officers here both from a professional standpoint, from his experience, but also from his age and maturity,' Wright said.
Friends said that O'Neal was in South Carolina to begin training for a new job
The North Carolina native is son of the 30-year veteran cop and the grandson of a police chief out of Burlington
Summerville Police Chief Doug Wright informing the public about DeLustro's arrest this week
The judge ordered for DeLustro to be held behind bars until at least his next hearing, which is scheduled for June 14.
Amid their brawl, witnesses said that DeLustro identified himself as a Summerville cop, even threatening to arrest O'Neal.
In his press conference, Chief Wright said that once DeLustro identified himself as a cop, he was acting in an official capacity but that he didn't know why he would have been brandishing his gun.
'I can't speak to his mindset that day what he had endured or what led to him to make the decisions that he allegedly made that led to his consequential arrest,' the chief said.
'How he got to the point to where the decision was made to do what he did, we don’t know those answers.'
At one point in the brawl, DeLustro's gun fell out of its holster. Shortly after that, O'Neal said that he was leaving. The suspect then threatened to shoot him, witnesses said, according to The Post and Courier.
When O'Neal got into his car to drive away, DeLustro also got in. The victim could be heard shouting: 'Get out of my car!'
One gun shot was heard, then O'Neal's car came to a stop close to the driveway entrance to the Chick-fil-A.
The wound hit O'Neal's arm and went into his chest, killing him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. DeLustro was treated for minor injuries.
O'Neal, a resident of Pfafftown, North Carolina, was in Summerville preparing to start a new job.
DeLustro was fired by the Summerville Police Department on April 10, the same day that state law enforcement announced the arrest warrant. In the aftermath of the shooting, he had been on paid administrative leave.