Brighton, N.Y. --- Maxwell Charles Wyant, 23 of Brighton, was charged with Second Degree, Intentional Murder Thusday morning after a fatal shooting at his home on Hartfeld Drive Wednesday evening.
Brighton Police were called to the home at 5:21 p.m. and found Christopher "CJ" Schoen, 21 of Irondequoit, dead just outside 37 Hartfeld Drive. Wyant was taken into police custody without incident and Brighton Police Chief Mark Henderson said Thursday that Schoen was shot inside the home with a shotgun.
Chief Henderson said a third man, about the same age as Schoen and Wyant was also in the home but he gave no indication that this man had any involvement in what Chief Henderson called a "dispute over property" between the victim and suspect.
Schoen's mother spoke briefly to 13WHAM News over the phone and through tears explained how devastated her entire family is. She said her son was simply going to the home to pick up some belongings.
Police say Schoen used to live at that home but moved out "months ago." Chief Henderson refused to provide details about the property that was the alleged source of the dispute. He gave every indication that the shotgun in this case has been recovered along with other evidence that he would not elaborate on during his Thursday morning press conference.
"I'm not going to use the word isolated incident," Chief Henderson said while describing how he believes neighbors have nothing to fear. "This was a violent act that occurred at that location and we have the person in custody, charged with the crime, that is who we believe is responsible for this act."
13WHAM News was unable to contact Wyant's family and is not aware if he has retained a lawyer to represent him.
In the Hartfeld Drive neighborhood most folks remember him as a young man who would often dress in all black clothing.
"I've seen the guy walking up and down through here all dressed in black all the time in the morning," Dan Navarre, a friend of Hartfeld Drive residents and their newspaper deliveryman, said of Wyant. "I don't know his name."
Those in the neighborhood who may have been on edge Wednesday evening appear to have calmed since now that more is known about what police believe happened.
"I've talked to most of them around here," Bill Bartholomay said when asked if any still seemed concerned. "No, they kind of got the drift of what the situation seems to be, it was between those two fellas I guess."
Schoen's death is the first murder in the Town of Brighton since February 2000.
Wyant is due back in Brighton Town Court on Tuesday at 5 p.m. He is currently in jail without bail.
