New York City-based Icahn School of Medicine Dean Dennis Charney, MD, testified in court Wednesday against a former assistant professor who was charged with attempting to shoot him last summer, according to a News 12 Westchester report.
During the hearing, Dr. Charney testified to "hearing a loud boom and having blood on his shoulder" before running into Chappaqua, N.Y.-based Lange's Little Store & Delicatessen Aug. 29, 2016 seeking help. He claimed he spent five days in the intensive care unit at New York City-based Mount Sinai "fighting for his life," according to the report.
Officials speculated the attack was a form of retribution after Dr. Charney fired Hengjun Chao, a former assistant professor of medicine at Mount Sinai, in 2009 after incidents of "research misconduct." He pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to shoot Dr. Charney during a court appearance in October 2016.
During opening statements, Mr. Chao's lawyers attempted to discredit Dr. Charney's credibility, claiming he had acted as a "manipulator" in the past by "trying to hide the harmful effects of a drug used to treat depression in teenagers," the report states.
Mount Sinai issued a statement to News 12 on the case, stating: "We condemn this act of violence, and hope that justice is served. The baseless claim made by the defense in an effort to justify a criminal act by the defendant is offensive and disgraceful."