New York man, Ronald Stolarczyk inherits gun from father, shoots burglars and now faces felony over gun laws

An elderly man in New York was arrested for shooting two burglars in his house, not facing murder, or even assault charges, but for using an unregistered gun he inherited from his father. Ronald Stolarczyk did what he had to do when two burglars had broken into his home, defending himself, but in doing so, violated a gun law about registering firesarms.

public domain pic from May 4 1916

According to the report: “He was in the kitchen when he heard people in the garage coming up the stairs to the kitchen. When they got to the top of the stairs he told them to stop, but one started coming toward him. He fired three or four shots and struck both.”

“He told me that when they were coming up the stairs, that as they approached him, that he was scared to death and he thought they were going to kill him. One of the troopers said, ‘did you see anything in their hands?’ He said, ‘I didn’t look at their hands, I just saw them coming at me and I thought to myself, at that point, that it’s either them or me,’ and he just started firing,” Defense Attorney Mark Wolber said.

Stolarczyk, 64, shot and killed Patricia Anne Talerico and her nephew, Nicholas Talerico after they invaded his home.

Stolarczyk’s father either gave or left the handgun in question to his son. Under New York’s famously restrictive gun control laws, the son wasn’t required to undergo a background check to receive the handgun from his father. But he did need to have a pistol permit to legally own the firearm and have it registered in his name.

Now Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara is shifting the blame for the robberies to Stolarczyk, calling him a hoarder and implying that he was just asking to be robbed. McNamara said “a large amount of property” believed to have been taken from the initial burglary at Stolarczyk’s home was discovered at Nicholas Talerico’s apartment in Utica during the investigation of the shooting.

Items recovered included an old Commodore computer and an old bicycle, McNamara said.

Stolarczyk knew he had been burglarized recently, said his lawyer, Mark Wolber.

“He had a lot of stuff in his place, and we believe the Talericos knew that, and were under the mistaken impression that the home was vacant,” McNamara said.

The home has no electricity and no running water, the DA said. The home has been condemned due to its condition, he said.

A female accomplice drove the pair to the house,he said. She has been fully cooperating with authorities and has not been charged at this time.

Stolarczyk was charged with criminal possession of a firearm, a felony.

“Stolarczyk is being provided with temporary shelter and benefits through Social Services.”

Meanwhile, a Go Fund Me page has been set up for Stolarczyk.