Gardner man charged in shooting
Man wounded in attack on liquor store
GARDNER – A divorced father of three accused of shooting his ex-girlfriend’s “friend/intimate partner” as the two walked out a package store was in Worcester Superior Court Friday.
James I. Wilson, 34, of 193 Union St., is charged with armed assault to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, carrying a firearm without a license, assault with a dangerous weapon, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building and violation of an abuse prevention order.
Police responded to multiple reports of shots fired around 7 p.m. Sept. 23 at Gardner Spirits, 5 East Broadway, at Union Street and East Broadway.
Upon arrival, police found William Ford suffering from a gunshot wound to his left lower abdomen, with two store clerks and two customers rendering aid on the victim. Police also assisted with medical aid as soon as they arrived, according to the statement of facts from Officer Dennis Siaw.
Eryka Dubey, her sister, Courtney Honore, and Ford drove to the package store. Dubey and Ford went inside while Honore stayed in the car, according to Assistant District Attorney Lisa Casella.
Casella said as Dubey and Ford were walking out the store, Wilson approached them, pulled out a firearm, shot Ford “at very close range” and took off toward his house at 194 Union St., which is about a quarter mile from the scene.
Casella said Ford was shot twice in the lower abdomen, at which time he fell to the ground, withering in pain.
Wilson and Dubey have been in an “on-and-off substantive dating relationship” for two and a half years. At the time of the incident, an abuse prevention order against Wilson to stay away from Dubey was in effect, set to expire on Dec. 12, according to Siaw’s statement of facts.
According to the statement of facts from Detective Christopher Starzynski, Dubey told police the shooting was motivated by Wilson’s jealousy caused by her deciding to stay with Ford that evening instead of him.
Honore, who was in the car and facing the entrance, said she saw Wilson walk past the vehicle and over to the door of Gardner Spirits while Dubey and Ford were about to exit. Honore positively identified Wilson as the suspect who shot Ford, Casella said.
Casella said Gardner Spirits is a fairly new liquor store with “excellence” video surveillance. Surveillance video from the package store confirmed the witnesses’ story and, in a still image obtained from the video, Wilson can be seen pointing a firearm toward Ford, causing Dubey to bend to the right while they are exiting the store.