A drunken man in his 60s who allegedly killed four people, including a father with young children and a newlywed policewoman, and injured nine others has reportedly admitted to drinking 18 beers shortly before getting behind the wheel on Friday.
“This individual’s horrific choices have upended lives and shattered dozens of families. He should not have been behind the wheel that day, and he should never be back on the streets,” New York Police Department (NYPD) union president Patrick Hendry said in a statement Monday, reported by the New York Post.
Defendant Steven Schwally, 64, appeared Monday before the grieving families of the four victims who allegedly died Friday after the 60-year-old drove straight into the window of the Hawaiian Nail & Spa beauty salon in Deer Park, New York, while heavily intoxicated, according to prosecutor Alexander Bopp.
“The defendant admitted to Suffolk County police detectives that he had consumed 18 beers the night before and indicated that he stopped drinking around 3 or 4 a.m.,” he told the court, according to the American media.
Among the victims was NYPD Officer Emilia Rennhack, 30, who was married last September and was at the salon getting a manicure in preparation for another colleague’s wedding on Friday.
The owner of the premises and father of two young children, Jiancai Chen, 37, is also believed to have died, while his wife, Wen Jun Cheng, is among the nine others injured.
The incident also reportedly claimed the lives of Yan Xu, 41, who was caring for her polio-stricken son and Alzheimer’s-stricken mother in China, according to the NY Post, as well as Meizi Zhang, 50. A 12-year-old girl was also reportedly injured.
The court has requested that Steven Schwally be set at $1 million in bail pending a grand jury trial on drunken driving charges, according to the US media outlet. More serious charges are also expected to be brought in the case.
