DoorDash shooting trial to get underway in March

Chester Highway Superintendent John Reilly is slated to stand trial beginning March 13 for his alleged role in last spring’s shooting of a DoorDash delivery driver outside his Valerie Drive home.

Following his arrest for the May 2 incident in which delivery driver Alpha Oumar Barry was shot in stomach while getting into his car in Reilly’s driveway, Reilly pleaded not guilty to a 13-count indictment for second-degree attempted murder, assault with depraved indifference and weapons offenses.

According to Chester Town Supervisor Brandon Holdridge, Reilly continues in his role as head of highway for the Town of Chester. Holdridge and others called for Reilly to resign last spring after he was charged in the shooting.

Reilly is up for reelection in 2027. It is unclear if he will run.

Issues surrounding shooting

Assistant Orange County District Attorney Nicholas Mangold alleges that on the evening of May 2, an unarmed Barry approached the front door of Reilly’s home carrying a bag of food and asked if Reilly had made the order. Barry, Mangold said, was lost and driving with a dead cell phone battery.

Reilly allegedly told the victim to get off his property, before firing multiple shots at the victim as he attempted to leave in his vehicle, striking the victim once, causing severe injuries to the abdomen and stomach.

Reilly’s attorney Thomas Kenniff, of Manhattan based Raiser & Kenniff, said his client was defending himself and his family from harm.

“The situation confronting my client on the evening in question was far more complex than has been portrayed,” Kenniff said. “The purported DoorDash driver, who wore no uniform and bore no credentials, was seen moments earlier unlawfully entering the garage of a next-door neighbor. He then approached Mr. Reilly’s door without invitation, bizarrely asking to enter his home, while Mr. Reilly’s wife and young daughter were inside. Mr. Reilly’s intention was not to cause harm, but to warn this man off his property after he had resisted his requests to leave.”

Other charges

Selina Nelson-Reilly, Reilly’s wife, faces criminal charges for allegedly deleting 17 videos from a smart doorbell camera following the shooting. She was arraigned on an indictment in Orange County Court on Oct. 29, charged with hindering prosecution and 17 counts of tampering with physical evidence. She pleaded not guilty and is due back in court Feb. 2. According to court records, she is represented by White Plains attorney Andrew Jason Proto who did not respond to a request for comment.