85-Year-Old N.J. Woman Shot Multiple Times At Home
LODI, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Police said they had a suspect Sunday night, after an 85-year-old woman was hospitalized after being shot multiple times at a northern New Jersey home.
85-Year-Old N.J. Woman Shot Multiple Times At Home
Bergen County prosecutors said Olga Bariso was found around 6:20 a.m. Sunday after Lodi police responded to reports of a shooting at a Union Street residence in Lodi, N.J.
85-Year-Old N.J. Woman Shot Multiple Times At Home
Bariso underwent surgery late Sunday morning at Hackensack University Medical Center.
As CBS 2's Christine Sloan reported Sunday night, the quiet Bergen County neighborhood where Bariso lived was rocked when the shots rang out.
Pierre Diaz, rents a first-floor apartment from the building that Bariso and her husband own, heard the shots fired. But he did not investigate, because he did not realize they were gunshots.
"Around 6 in the morning, I heard some popping sounds," he said. "I had just raised the thermostat, and I thought maybe the broiler had gotten damaged or something."
Afterward, Pierre heard movement upstairs and someone running down the stairs. It was not until police rushed to the scene and he learned that the popping sound was gunshots and that his 85-year-old upstairs neighbor had been shot.
Bariso's son and grandson also live in the Union Street home, which sits next to a church.
"I heard running on the steps inside," Diaz said. "I think the grandson – he lives in the basement. Maybe he heard it."
Investigators, who brought a shotgun out of the house, have said little except that they had a suspect. Prosecutors have not indicated whether this meant a suspect has been apprehended, or just that a suspect has been identified.
No charges had been issued Sunday night.
Across the street, another neighbor also heard the popping sounds. But Ana Aceski could not imagine something like a shooting in Lodi, where well-kept, middle-class homes line the street.
"I came out of the bathroom by 6:30 after getting ready to leave and saw flashing lights outside," Aceski said. "It's scary."
Police would not say whom the shotgun belongs to, but they said they received a call just after 6 a.m. Sunday.
Even more odd, Diaz said he did not hear anyone come through the front or back door of the house.
The building next door is also owned by the victim, and her tenant was shaken up.
"Beautiful lady; nice. Very nice," said Tanya Guber. "I was shocked. There were shots in their head."
Neighbors wondered if drugs had anything to do with the shooting. They said heroin has become a big problem in the area.
Bariso remained hospitalized Sunday night. Her condition was not known.
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