New-York tribune., 1921-06-19
Blunder Into Brooklyn
House After Gunman
and Blaze Away, killing
Innocent Italian Wife
Husband Beaten as
He Goes to Her Aid
Bullet just Misses Woman
and 3 Children i'm Bed
in Apartment Below

An innocent woman was shot and
her husband, who was also blameless.
was beaten with blackiacks early yes
terday morning by police Of the 10th
Precinct, Brooklyn, who say they were
hunting for an Italian gunman. The
dead woman had two little children.
The woman, Mrs. Pasquale Ric-
cardello, $40 President Street, was
shot through an eye by .38 caliber
bullet, dying almost instantly. Only
after lengthy inquiry did the authori-
ties arrive at any conclusion concern
ing which of half dozen policemen in
volved fired the fatal shot. A police
version of the affair indicated that it
might have been fired by Patrolman
Joseph Calcaterra. Assistant District
Attorney Nicholas Salvaggi, of Kings
County, after investigation, placed the
responsibility upon Detective John
Cooley.
According to Mr.. Salvaggi, Cooley
was the only one of the police con-
cerned who carried a .38 caliber revol-
yer. Cooley denies that he shot the
woman. An empty cartridge was
found in his pocket, but he said that
he always carried this as "keepsake."
He has not been suspended and the in
vcstigation will be continued further.
That others in the house were not
killed or injured by the flying bullets
is deemed miracle by the tenants.
Mrs. Susie Fusco, who lives on the
hrst floor, was in bed with her three
children, Congetta, six; Genevieve.
1ve, and Annie, eighteen months, when
q bullet burst through the wall six
inches above the bed and showered
the blanket with plaster
Brutality Is Charged
Grave accusations are made against
the police by the inhabitants Of the
block in which the shooting occurred.
They declare it was the first time the
peace Of the neighborhood had been
disturbed in twenty-one years and as
san the brutality of the officers, who
they say mistook Rfccardello for the
real culprlt and beat him in the pres
ence OF scores of witnesses
Vigorous denial of the brutality
charges is made by the men in uni
torn who were on the scene, and the
case has narrowed down to a question
of veracity between the two parties.
Patrolmen J. Cooley and Thomas
Conley, doing plain clothes duty and
attached to the station at Bergen
Street and Sixth Avenue, entered a
saloon in the vicinity of President
Street and Fifth Avenue shortly before
IL o'clock Friday night to search for
violators of the Volstead act.
AS they were about to leave, Con-
ley says, the proprietor informed them
that there was an opportunity to make
good catch. Ee then told them that
young girl, Lillian Gambelli, thr-
teen haq been struck by an Ital
ian named Arco Jolio; that the
girls mother had upbraided him
for the action and that her son Michael
had whipped Jolio for the insult to his
sister. Jolio, it was declared, COM
municated the affair to his brother-in-
law, Rafael Cino. and the latter had
determined to avenge the wrong done
by waylaying Michael. He was wait
ing, it was said, in the hallway of 507
President Street.
Says They Were Fired On
Cooley and l." said Conley at the
station house yesterday afternoon,
started at once for the tenement.
which is a three-story building. On
entering the dark hallway we made our
way to the stairway and started up.
Just as we reached the second floor
landing man, whom we believe to be
Cino, opened fire on us and emptied
six shots in our direction. One of the
bullets grazed the right elbow of my
coat, leaving a mark"
Conley showed the trace of a bullet
on his coat.
Cooley and scattered at once and
started downstairs for assistance firing
four shots as we left We sent for the
reserves, and about fifteen officers re-
sponded. Cooley then went Sup with
some of the officers and l remained
downstairs with four witnesses, whom
had placed under arrest. / heard
no shots fired after that When the
police got up to the top floor they
found the body of the woman. | think
Cino must have seen her when she
opened the door to come in the hall
and shot her.
1--WE fired four shots, that's all. 1
have been up since a. m. and I must
get some sleep"
That is Conley's version of the af-
fair Serpeant Daniel Foley said.