Police: Man killed, woman strangled in separate customer-employee disputes in Newburgh
Two men are facing separate charges in back-to-back, violent disputes between customers and store employees in Newburgh, including one that turned deadly.
Two men are facing separate charges in back-to-back, violent disputes between customers and store employees in Newburgh, including one that turned deadly.
One of those men, 25-year-old Xavier Webb, was arrested on Monday by City of Newburgh police from his hospital bed and charged with criminal possession of a weapon and tampering with evidence.
Orange County prosecutors say the Newburgh AutoZone clerk was stabbed by a customer earlier that day during an altercation inside the store on Broadway and ended up shooting the customer in self-defense with an illegal firearm.
News 12 spoke to a man who works nearby who says he saw the police response.
“They were doing CPR on him for a long time, so I knew it wasn’t good,” says Steve Andreini, from Poughkeepsie.
Prosecutors say the incident was captured on surveillance video and that Webb was seen outside of the store while injured tossing the firearm into a wooded area by a retaining wall.
City of Newburgh police say the customer died and has been identified as Carlos Colon, 40, of Newburgh.
The violent customer-employee dispute is the second incident at a big-box retail store in Newburgh in two days.
On Sunday, Town of Newburgh police say 54-year-old Ronnie Williams strangled and punched a female worker at the Kohl’s Sephora counter and was arrested. The altercation was partially caught on witness cellphone video and given to News 12.
Williams was charged with assault and criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, and a restraining order was issued on behalf of the victim, according to police.
People in the area are upset by the disturbing incidents.
“Our town is in shambles. It needs change,” says Stan Robinson, of Newburgh.
Authorities have not said what prompted either dispute.
News 12 reached out to AutoZone, Kohl’s and Sephora for comment. Kohl's says it is cooperating with the investigation, and that the safety and security of associates and customers is a top priority.
AutoZone and Sephora have not responded yet.
