State police say a Somers man who claimed he was shot on his own doorstep actually shot himself, and that the incident led troopers to a stash of guns and drugs inside his home.
John A. Fiore, 47, of Narcissus Drive was charged this week after investigators concluded the shooting he reported was staged and his wound was self-inflicted. Troopers executed a search warrant at his residence early Friday, according to state police. Fiore was arraigned in Westchester County on Saturday, remanded to custody, and remained hospitalized. He was scheduled to appear in Somers Town Court on Monday at 5 p.m.
Investigation and seizure at the home
Troopers were dispatched to Fiore's private residence at about 12:15 a.m. Friday after a 911 call reported that a man had been shot. Fiore told investigators that he opened his front door and saw an unknown man on the front steps who allegedly fired a single round that struck Fiore in the left knee.
That account did not survive closer scrutiny. The Bureau of Criminal Investigation later determined that the injury was self-inflicted and that the reported shooting never happened as described.
Armed with a search warrant for the Narcissus Drive property, investigators say they found numerous firearms, including two that had been reported stolen, along with psilocybin mushrooms and multiple baggies containing a white powdery substance. Fiore now faces a mix of felony and misdemeanor counts tied to the weapons and suspected drugs, along with a charge for allegedly making up the shooting, according to Newport Dispatch.
Charges and legal stakes
Authorities charged Fiore with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the second degree, multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, and additional weapons and drug offenses, plus a misdemeanor count of falsely reporting an incident.
Under New York law, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the second degree is a class A II felony, and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree is a class C felony, both serious charges that can carry significant state prison time if a defendant is convicted. Those statutes are outlined by FindLaw and FindLaw. The provision on falsely reporting an incident appears in New York Justia.
Local context and next steps
The case lands at a time when Westchester prosecutors have been publicly stressing a hard line on illegal guns. The county district attorney's office reported that roughly 320 illegal firearms were seized in 2024, part of a wider push to get unlicensed weapons off the streets.
Officials have highlighted gun prosecutions, community firearm buyback events, and the creation of a Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau that focuses on shootings, trafficking, and other illegal weapon cases, according to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office.
