A Williston Park man shot his girlfriend early Monday morning night following an argument between the couple over the AMC television series “The Walking Dead,” according to Nassau County police.
Jared Gurman, 26, of 516 Marcellus Rd. in Williston Park was arrested and charged with attempted murder for shooting his girlfriend in the back following the dispute.
Police said after initially refusing his girlfriend’s request for help Gurman put her in his car he took her to Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, where he was later arrested.
“She pleaded with him to help her,” said Detective Lt. Ray Coté, commanding officer of the Nassau County Police 3rd Squad.
Coté said the woman is now in stable condition after sustaining a pierced lung, a fractured rib and a pierced diaphragm as a result of the shooting.
Gurman was out drinking with his girl friend on Sunday night when an intense argument about the TV series began between them, Coté said.
“They got into a heated argument over a TV show,” said Coté, who identified the show as “The Walking Dead.”
“He felt very adamantly there could be some type of military mishap where some kind of deadly virus could be released,” Coté said.
“The Walking Dead” is about a world ravaged by a zombie epidemic following apocalyptic global event. It is based on Robert Kirkman’s popular comic book series of the same name.
Gurman’s girlfriend was originally planning on spending the night with him, Coté said, but changed her mind after they got into the argument.
She returned to her parents house in Williston Park, but the couple started exchanging text messages which became “even more angry and bitter,” Coté said.
As the text messaging continued, Coté said, Gurman’s girlfriend thought he was going “over the edge” and decided to go to his residence to try to calm him down.
When she arrived at his residence, he was standing outside with a semi-automatic .22 rifle in his hand, Coté said. She talked to him and finally said, “Let’s go to bed,” and started to climb the stairs of the residence to go inside. It was then, Coté said, that Gurman raised the rifle and shot her in the back.
When the couple arrived at the hospital, Coté said, Gurman told hospital officials the shooting was “accidental.” Gurman’s attorney, Edward Lieberman, reportedly repeated that explanation at Gurman’s arraignment in 1st District Court in Hempstead on Tuesday morning.
Asked whether he thought Gurman could have fired the rifle accidentally, Coté said, “He was pointing the rifle at her and the rifle went off.”
Coté said the couple had a “dating relationship” for the past three or four years. He said she sometimes slept at his residence and sometimes slept at her parent’s house. He also said people police interviewed who knew the couple were taken aback when informed of the shooting.
“Most people we spoke with were surprised,” he said.
Coté said the ensuing police investigation revealed that Gurman had three “long guns” and he was “passionate about weapons.”
Gurman has one prior arrest on a charge of driving while intoxicated in 2007, according to Coté.
He said Gurman told detectives he regretted shooting his girl friend.
“He’s remorseful about what happened now,” Coté said.
Reach reporter Richard Tedesco by e-mail at rtedesco@theislandnow.com or by phone at 516.307.1045 x204. Also follow us on Twitter @theislandnow and Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow.
