A former assistant professor of medicine at Mount Sinai was arrested after shooting two people, including Dennis Charney, MD, dean of New York City-based Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The incident occurred Aug. 29 at 7 a.m. at Chappaqua, N.Y.-based Lange's Little Store & Delicatessen. Police arrested 49-year-old Chao Hengjun in connection with the shooting.
Mr. Chao is a former assistant professor of medicine at New York City-based Mount Sinai. In 2009, Dr. Charney sent him a letter of termination due to "research misconduct," reports The New York Times. Mr. Chao then sued Mount Sinai and Dr. Charney for discrimination, but after an appeals process, he was terminated in early 2010.
Charles Ferry, chief of the New Castle Police Department, speculates the shooting "would seem to be" an act of revenge. "I think he came up here intent on shooting someone," he said, according to the Times.
Dr. Charney and an injured bystander, whose identity wasn't released, were taken to Valhalla, N.Y.-based Westchester Medical Center, where they're being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
"This is an extremely disturbing event," Kenneth Davis, MD, president and CEO of Mount Sinai Health System, said, according to WSJ. "Fortunately, Dr. Charney's injuries are not life-threatening and we expect he will fully recover."