Former Olympian Charged After Allegedly Shooting Woman At NJ Horse Farm
LONG VALLEY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A U.S. Olympian is accused in a shooting on a New Jersey horse farm.
Washington Township Police responded to a call at a home on Hawthorne Farm around 2 p.m. Wednesday, CBS2's Tara Jakeway reports.
That's where they found 38-year-old Lauren Kanarek bleeding and losing consciousness. Police say she was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest.
Kanarek allegedly identified the shooter herself after calling 911. The criminal complaint states she said, "Michael Barisone shot me" and "He shot me twice."
Police confirm the suspect is former U.S. Olympian Michael Barisone.
The 54-year-old, who traveled with Team USA to Beijing to compete in dressage, was also Kanarek's landlord.
Kanarek, an award-winning equestrian herself, was reportedly living on Barisone's property with her fiance, and there was an ongoing landlord-tenant dispute.
According to the complaint, when officers arrived, they found Kanarek's fiance and Barisone on the ground, wrestling for the gun.
Barisone was taken into custody. He allegedly kept repeating "I had a good life."
A friend confirmed to CBS2 that days before the shooting, Kanarek posted a message on her Facebook page that read in part, "I'm being bullied by a 6-foot-3-inch [tall] man ... Bullied to the point I'm afraid."
Isaac Cohen, Kanarek's neighbor, was at a loss for words.
"Stuff like that doesn't usually happen around here, so that's odd," he said.
Washington Township Mayor Matt Murello says Cohen is right.
"Our town has been fortunate that for the last four or five years, we've actually been listed as one of the safest towns in the nation," Murello said.
According to the Morris County prosecutor's office, Barisone is being evaluated at a local hospital. He's due in court sometime next week, facing two counts of attempted murder.
Kanarek is now in stable condition. Kanarek's fiance sustained minor injuries.
