Joseph Grucci

An elderly member of the Grucci fireworks family shot his grandson yesterday after a heated argument over noise. Joseph Grucci, the cousin of former Republican congressman and fireworks magnate Felix Grucci, got into a fight with his grandson, Christopher Giresi, when Giresi had some friends over around 3 a.m. Thursday night and repeatedly refused to keep the noise down. Grucci told cops his grandson actually attacked him when he told the youngins to shut up; after that, Grucci got his shotgun and fired at the 20-year-old from about 20 feet away in his Bellport, Long Island home.

Grucci and his wife Carol legally adopted Giresi almost a decade ago, because his own parents were mired in drug addiction. There has been a lot of tension between the two men in recent years according to Grucci's wife, largely stemming from Giresi's drug use and circle of friends. The grandmother says her grandson is so nervous about going to jail on pending drug charges, he has been regularly taking steroids to prepare for the possibility.

Giresi is expected to live, and his grandfather is calling the attack a case of self-defense, especially since his 6-foot-2, 220-pound grandson towers over his 5-foot-6,150-pound frame. Carol added that she and her husband aren't part of their family's fireworks company, and because of a family rift, she doesn't expect they'll get any help from his cousin.