By Ivan Pereira
Queens archery experts were mystified about the origins of an arrow that struck the home of a Whitestone family last week and said it was a model sold online or in sporting goods stores.
Al Lizzio, who opened up the indoor Queens Archery school at 170−20 39th Ave. in Flushing for students of all ages 45 years ago, said he was shocked when he learned that a 3−foot arrow was shot at the 20th Road home of the Weinberger family around 9 p.m. on March 24.
Although no one was hurt in that incident, Lizzio, 68, said last week’s near−miss, and the bow and arrow shooting of Denise Delgado−Brown two weeks ago in the Bronx, could unnecessarily tarnish his sport.
“My whole life has been dedicated to the teaching of safety and the art of archery and these two idiots go around and do these stupid things,” he said.
Eric Weinberger, 48, said he was putting out the trash and returning to his house when he saw the blue fiberglass arrow strike a window frame on the side of his house. Weinberger’s wife, Karen; 13−year−old daughter, Caitlyn; and 11−year−old son, Zachary, were in the room on the other side of the window.
“When I saw the arrow, I yelled at them not to get out of the house,” he said.
The arrow was lodged in the window frame and did not hurt Weinberger’s family. His 6−year−old son, Matthew, was in another room watching TV when the incident occurred.
Weinberger said he saw a black Hummer leave the street after the shooting. Police had not arrested any suspects as of Tuesday and the investigation was ongoing.
Based on Weinberger’s description of the arrow, Lizzio said the projectile was most likely bought from an online catalogue or a sporting good store and not a professional archery retailer.
The Whitestone incident took place 10 days after Delgado−Brown was shot in the torso allegedly by Bronx resident Eric Collins. Collins, who was charged in Bronx Criminal Court with assault and reckless endangerment. He was firing his bow and arrow from his home and one of the arrows hit Delgado−Brown, according to police.
Lizzio, who lives not too far from where the Whitestone occurred, said he had never heard of an incident in the city where someone deliberately targeted another person with a bow and arrow. He noted that archery is the safest sport, according to insurance studies.
Ed Gerig, who runs Pro Line Archery Lanes in Ozone Park, which has indoor ranges like Lizzio’s school, said no permit is required in the city to own or purchase a bow and arrow, but archers are required to have a hunter’s license if they want to shoot the arrows outdoors. The archers who practice in his indoor facility and similar centers in the city do not need a permit to fire the weapon as long as there is supervision by a professional, according to Gerig.
Gerig, 75, who has been involved in archery all his life, said he is very strict about laying down the rules of the sport with his students, who range from children to senior citizens, and does not condone careless behavior.
“This is someone being irresponsible,” he said. “The whole industry doesn’t put up with this thing.”
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e−mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 146.
