A Pennsylvania man fired a gun at a store clerk who asked him to wear a mask and later fired an AK-47 at police officers who tried to arrest him, Lehigh Valley Live reports.
Adam Zaborowski, 35, angrily refused to put on a mask while visiting a cigar shop in Bethlehem Township on Friday before walking out to his car and returning with a handgun he used to fire at the clerk.
Police arrived at Zaborowski’s home on Saturday when the man allegedly fired an AK-47 during a shootout with at least seven police officers.
“It is to my understanding that the Slatington Borough (police) and Pennsylvania State Police troopers engaged our suspect from (Friday) and there was an exchange of gunfire and during that Mr. Zaborowski was wounded,” Bethlehem Township police Sgt. Daryl LaPointe said.
One officer suffered a minor injury while Zaborowski was helicoptered to St. Luke’s University Hospital to be treated for multiple gunshot wounds.
Zaborowski charged with attempted murder:
Zaborowski was charged with attempted homicide and related charges after he fired two shots at the store clerk and another round in the air on Friday.
He was already banned from owning firearms in the state because of a previous aggravated assault case.
Zaborowski is still hospitalized.
“I anticipate there’s going to be a bunch of charges in Lehigh County,” Judge Jacqueline Taschner said.
Lawyer blames pandemic:
Defense attorney John Waldron said after a conversation with Zaborowski’s father that the shooter was not handling the coronavirus pandemic well.
“He just wasn’t dealing well with the loss of his job, the loss of his child, just not handling the pandemic well,” Waldron said. “I think he was getting stretched too tight.”
Waldron said he wants to have his client mentally evaluated to “see what exactly was going on in his life to have him react this way.”
Zaborowski’s bail was set at $1 million.
“I know his dad. I know his mom. I know Adam,” Waldron said. “From what I hear with these allegations, this is not his typical behavior pattern.”
