David Reese, 53 (pictured), a 16-year veteran at Department of Environmental Protection, shot and killed co-worker Aron Thomas, 33, at the DEP facility in Kingston on Monday.
An engineer with the city’s Department of Environmental Protection shot and killed a co-worker Monday at the agency’s upstate headquarters, cops said.
The victim, Aron Thomas, 33, worked alongside his alleged killer David Reese, 53, in the sprawling DEP facility in Kingston in Ulster County.
Reese, from Gilboa, southwest of Albany, was arrested at the scene, and cops recovered a handgun believed to be the murder weapon. He was charged with murder in the second degree.
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It’s unclear why he lashed out at Thomas, a married resident of Olivebridge in the Catskills.
Thomas may have been deliberately targeted as an act of revenge, sources told the Oneonta Daily Star.
“It’s just absolutely sad. It boggles my mind what people will do,” said Sylvia Rozzelle, 64, the Olivebridge town supervisor and Thomas’ friend.
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“He really was a stellar guy … I’ve known him since he was a little boy. It’s a major loss for our town.”
Thomas was a nine-year DEP employee, while Reese was a 16-year veteran.
His job primarily involved maintaining the DEP’s Smith Street facility, which houses the city’s water testing lab.
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He was on duty when he was shot around 6:45 a.m., police said.
About 200 workers for the city agency are employed in Kingston.
DEP Commissioner Carter Strickland called the killing “senseless,” and said the city sent grief counselors to comfort mourning workers.
“The thoughts and prayers of all DEP employees are with the victim’s family and loved ones,” Strickland said in a statement. “We will do all we can to support them in the days and months ahead.”
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