A 9/11 first responder is in custody in South Carolina, where he is accused of fatally shooting a man he fought with in broad daylight in the Chick-fil-A parking lot on March 20.
Anthony DeLustro, 64, who at the time of the shooting was a member of the Summerville Police Department in the Palmetto State, has since been fired, has been described as the “aggressor” in the witness dispute.
The incident occurred in the community of Summerville, northwest of Charleston.
Those witnesses said DeLustro became involved in a parking lot dispute with 39-year-old Michael O’Neal. It is unclear what led to the fight. Passersby saw the couple get out of their cars in front of the restaurant and begin arguing.
During the argument, DeLustro called O’Neal a homophobic slur. Despite repeated attempts by others, including DeLustro’s wife, Pilar, to defuse the situation, the former NYPD officer continued to attempt to fight O’Neal.
It culminated in DeLustro climbing into the passenger seat of O’Neal’s car as the victim attempted to drive away. When he started the engine, DeLustro shot O’Neal, prosecutors said.
In a court hearing this week, DeLustro asked for leniency by mentioning his heroism on 9/11, which saw him develop cancer, the tragedy of losing his special needs daughter, Kristina, in 2021 and raising two of his grandchildren.
Anthony DeLustro, 64, who at the time of the shooting was a member of the Summerville Police Department in the Palmetto State, has since been fired, has been described as the “aggressor” in the dispute by witnesses.
Michael O’Neal, 39, pictured on a GoFundMe page set up by friends to help his family at this time.
The Chick-fil-A restaurant in Summerville, South Carolina, where the shooting took place.
‘We’ve been raising them and sending them to Catholic schools and trying to give them a good life. Any mercy you can show me, where I can be with them and help them get through this, I would appreciate it,” he reports. Mail and Messaging.
O’Neal came from a family of law enforcement officers. His father was a 30-year veteran of the Winston-Salem Police Department, while his father was a former police chief in Burlington, North Carolina.
This week, WPDE reported that a personnel file for DeLustro mentioned that he had issues with his temper and was frustrated with staff.
Online records show that DeLustro was with the NYPD between December 1980 and February 2003. From there, he accepted a job in security at Trident Tech College in North Carolina. He began working in Summerville in 2007.
He first left Summerville in 2009 to work at Charleston College of Public Safety, the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office and Citadel Public Safety. DeLustro returned to work in Summerville in January 2023.
However, Summerville Police Chief Doug Wright described DeLustro in glowing terms during a news conference this week.
“I could tell you that if we had any kind of indication that he was anything but that, he would not be allowed to continue his path in law enforcement, I’m sure.”
“But what I can tell you is that he was very respected among the officers here, both from a professional standpoint, because of his experience, and because of his age and maturity,” Wright said.
Friends said O’Neal was in South Carolina to begin training for a new job.
The North Carolina native is the son of a 30-year veteran police officer and the grandson of a Burlington police chief.
Summerville Police Chief Doug Wright informs public of DeLustro’s arrest this week
The judge ordered DeLustro to remain behind bars at least until his next hearing, which is scheduled for June 14.
In the midst of their fight, witnesses said DeLustro identified himself as a Summerville police officer, and even threatened to arrest O’Neal.
In his press conference, Chief Wright said that once DeLustro identified himself as a police officer, he was acting in his official capacity, but he did not know why he would have been brandishing his weapon.
“I can’t speak to his mindset that day, what he had endured or what led him to make the decisions he allegedly made that led to his subsequent arrest,” the chief said.
“How he got to the point where the decision was made to do what he did, we don’t know those answers.”
At one point during the fight, DeLustro’s gun fell out of its holster. Shortly after, O’Neal said he was leaving. The suspect then threatened to shoot him, witnesses said, according to The Post and Courier.
When O’Neal got into his car to leave, DeLustro got in too. The victim could be heard screaming, ‘Get out of my car!’
A gunshot was heard and then O’Neal’s car stopped near the entrance to Chick-fil-A.
The wound hit O’Neal’s arm and penetrated his chest, killing him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. DeLustro was treated for minor injuries.
O’Neal, a resident of Pfafftown, North Carolina, was in Summerville preparing to start a new job.
DeLustro was fired by the Summerville Police Department on April 10, the same day the state police announced the arrest warrant. After the shooting, he was on paid administrative leave.