Police say a Mahopac man shot and killed his coworker before turning the gun on himself, minutes after the victim returned home from an outing with the shooter's estranged wife.
Putnam County Coronor Dr. Michael Nesheiwat pronounced both Michael Boccardi, 47, and Michael Purdy, 56, dead at 11:23 p.m. Monday. Nesheiwat and other officials arrived on the scene following a 911 report that two people had been shot.
According to police, Boccardi had been waiting in the foliage at 20 Woodland Road in Mahopac, where Purdy was renting a cottage. Before 10 p.m., Boccardi's estranged wife dropped off Purdy after the two had dinner. Purdy was walking up the driveway when Boccardi allegedly fired several shots from a registered 40-caliber Glock semi-automatic pistol. Police say that one of the shots hit Purdy in the head.
Boccardi then jumped into his wife's 2000 Mercury Sable and demanded she drive away. The police report states that the "distraught" woman tried to talk to her husband, who then shot himself in the head.
Authorities say the 911 call came in after a woman had knocked on a Woodland Road resident's door, and that several other neighbors reported the gunshots, too. Carmel Police officer James Evans was the first to arrive on the scene, and he found the homeowner attempting to give first aid to one of the men. Boccardi's estranged wife was not hurt.
"...This is a tragic loss for the entire community," Carmel Police Chief Michael Johnson said in a statement.
Both men were employees of the Town of Carmel Highway Department, and flags outside the building flew at half-staff Thursday. The same was true at the Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department, where Purdy served as president.
The department posted a statement on its website, remembering Purdy as a "devoted member."
"Mike's approach to life and his sense of humor made him a very popular member, and he was loved by everyone," the statement reads.
Facebook posts from folks with ties to Putnam expressed support for the "[Carmel] highway [department] family" and wrote that their "thoughts and prayers" went out "to the families involved." The Mahopac News also noted on Facebook that staff members are mourning Purdy's death. Folks at coffee shops in Mahopac and throughout the area could be overheard talking about the news, calling it "devastating for the whole community."
"It's unbelievable, I can't even imagine what they're all going through," Chief Dave O'Hara said of the Mahopac company Thursday afternoon. O'Hara met Purdy a few years ago, and said that through parades, ceremonies and other events, he always thought the former president was a "great guy."
Details on service and funeral arrangements were not immediately available.
"I called the fire chief [at Mahopac] this morning," O'Hara said when asked about his company's involvement in any memorials. "We'll be there for them, for sure."
The murder-suicide comes almost exactly one month after a .
