A former Army Ranger who was armed with an assault rifle surrendered peacefully to police Sunday evening following a tense standoff at his family’s farm in Shapleigh.
A family member notified the York County Sheriff’s Office that there was an “out of control” man who had been randomly firing his AK-47 semi-automatic assault rifle near his home on Oak Hill Road in Shapleigh.
Sheriff William L. King Jr. identified the shooter as Robert W. Ferrera, 26, of Shapleigh. King said that Ferrera served in Afghanistan and returned to the United States a few years ago. Army Rangers are an elite regiment of the Army.
King said his deputies recovered at least 18 spent shells from the assault rifle that Ferrera used in the shooting spree. Ferrera also owns an M-4 semi-automatic rifle.
Police said Ferrera, who was upset over his living situation, began randomly shooting his weapon inside and outside his home. He lives on his family’s farm, which was once used to raise alpacas.
When the shooting started, another family member, who lives in a separate residence on the Oak Hill Road property, fled and contacted police.
“Once Ferrera started firing his weapon, the family member, fearing for his life, fled his residence and summoned the sheriff’s office,” King wrote in a news release.
Deputies, who arrived around 4:30 p.m., set up a perimeter around the property and began to monitor Ferrera’s movements.
“The deputies noticed that Ferrera emerged from his residence several times with a weapon and binoculars, almost appearing to be looking for the deputies,” King said.
About an hour later, Ferrera left his home and started walking toward the tree line and two deputies who were hiding in a wooded area. The deputies confronted Ferrera, who was not armed at the time, and took him into custody at 5:50 p.m.
Ferrera was arrested and charged with reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, a Class felony, and violating conditions of his release, a Class E misdemeanor. He was transported to the York County Jail in Alfred, where he was being held without bail pending his video arraignment on Monday.
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