Two men have been arrested for shooting a Manhattan man 15 minutes after he was released from prison after serving a 15 year sentence—and it turns out it was over a 15 year grudge. Jerome Mack, 35, and Edgar Wilson, 35, have been charged with attempted murder and weapons possession for shooting Devon Simmons in the chest and leg on Thursday. "Apparently, Mack had this grudge the whole time. He held onto it for the whole 15 years that Mr. Simmons was away," a sourced told the Post.
The feud started when Simmons, 33, allegedly shot Mack’s friend on a Harlem street; Simmons was arrested for assault, and Mack was also arrested at the same time for weapons possession. The men testified against each other; Mack got 10 years in prison while Simmons got 15. Then Simmons ratted Mack out to prison officials for smuggling in marijuana, netting Mack another 1-3 years.
So Mack hid in the trunk of Wilson's car, and the two drove to Orange County where Wilson, who had never met Simmons, offered him a ride when he was released from Otisville State Prison in Orange County around 9:45 a.m. Although he had been given a train ticket to a halfway home in Manhattan, Simmons accepted the offer and they drove about two miles.
“They stopped the vehicle,” said State Police Captain Pierce Gallagher. “Wilson indicated that he needed to relieve himself, they both got out of the vehicle and at that point, Mack made his entrance.” Simmons was shot in the upper right arm and chest.
Mack and Wilson fled to Manhattan, while Simmons was able to get to nearby Otisville Metro-North station. He underwent surgery at Westchester Medical Center and is in stable condition; he also identified his shooters to the cops, who tracked the men down by Friday morning.
