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Uniondale Family Afraid After Weekend Dispute

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (1010 WINS/ AP) -- George Grier is out on bail after allegedly firing warning shots with a rifle at a group of suspected gang members over the weekend and now he's in seclusion at his home in Uniondale.

George Grier with Attorney John Lewis Jr. (Photo/Kathleen Maloney)His wife, Ylana, said the family is shaken and afraid that the large group of men who invaded their property will come back.

"There's that feeling of are they coming back to retaliate?" Ylana Grier said. "How can I still guard my home? We no longer have the rifle."

Grier, 30, was arrested after he fired rounds into the ground and air from an assault-style rifle after arguing with 15 to 20 men -- believed to be MS-13 gang members -- gathered outside his Long Island home Sunday evening, Nassau County police said.

"They were literally on my lawn," Grier's wife said. "I felt they were going to invade my home, I thought my husband was going to be killed."

No one was hurt in the incident.

Ylana Grier said her husband was merely protecting her and their two young daughters -- ages 2 and 1 -- from the men. She said the family did not know who the men were or why they swarmed the lawn.

Grier was arrested on reckless endangerment and weapons possession charges. He was released on $10,000 bond after his arraignment Monday.

A FedEx worker, Grier is the grandson of a local minister and is a church deacon himself, his sister, Caprice Rines said. Grier bought the rifle for self-defense amid concern about recent shootings in the area, Rines said.

The family is now relying on surveillance cameras and a pit bull for protection.

PREVIOUS STORY: L.I. Man Fires Gun, Arrested In Dispute On His Lawn

Inset: George Grier with Attorney John Lewis Jr. (top); Grier's Family waiting in Nassau Criminal Court (Photos/Kathleen Maloney)

(TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

 

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