New Jersey

Olympian Charged With Attempted Murder in Wild Shooting at His New Jersey Horse Farm

A woman was shot twice in the chest and is hospitalized in the intensive care unit with life-threatening injuries

What to Know

  • A woman was shot multiple times and a man was injured when gunfire erupted at an equestrian center in New Jersey Wednesday
  • Michael Barisone, 54, of Washington Township, faces attempted murder and weapons charges
  • He rents a residence on his property to a man and a woman and allegedly shot the woman twice in the chest and tried to shoot the man

A woman was shot repeatedly and a man was hurt in a shooting at an Olympian’s equestrian center in New Jersey this week, authorities say. 

Michael Barisone, 54, of Washington Township, faces attempted murder and weapons charges in Wednesday's shooting at the equestrian center on West Mill Road in Morris County. According to NJ.com, he owns and operates the 53-acre property and is a former member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic dressage team.

Authorities say cops responded to the sprawling property around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday after someone called 911 to report a woman had been shot. It was the woman herself, who told the dispatcher, "Michael Barisone shot me. I've been shot twice," the probable cause affidavit says. 

Once authorities arrived, they saw a second man laying on top of Barisone on the pavement near a stairway leading into the property's main residence. The woman who had been shot was on the ground nearby. She was shot twice in the chest and remains in the intensive care unit with life-threatening injuries.

Cops untangled Barisone and the other man and found a pink and black handgun underneath Barisone, the affidavit says. Barisone had injuries to his head and arms and was taken to a hospital for treatment. Before he was transported, he was overheard saying, "I had a good life," multiple times, the affidavit says. 

According to the affidavit, Barisone leased the residence to the woman and the male victim. There have been multiple recent calls to the address because of landlord-tenant related issues, it says. The male victim told police Barisone allegedly tried to shoot him, too. He told authorities he tried to disarm and subdue Barisone until police arrived. The male victim suffered minor injuries to his right hand and wrist in the confrontation. 

Details on an attorney for Barisone weren't immediately available. Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the Washington Township Police Department at 908-876-3232.

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