80-year-old Scottsdale resident accused of shooting Segway-riding salesman in back

An 80-year-old resident of a gated north Scottsdale neighborhood allegedly shot and seriously injured a door-to-door salesman who was riding a Segway on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

Officers responded to a shooting call in the area of 35400 N. 86th Place, near Pima Road and Stagecoach Pass, about 4:15 p.m., according to the Scottsdale Police Department.

When they arrived, the victim was lying face down with a gunshot wound in his lower back, according to court records.

The man was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and was listed in stable condition as of Monday morning, police said.

Why did the 80-year-old Scottsdale resident shoot door-to-door salesman?

The victim had been going door-to-door in the neighborhood to sell a window-washing service when he knocked on the courtyard gate at Patrick Joseph McBride’s house, according to court documents.

McBride told the man to leave the private neighborhood, police said.

McBride went out about 10 minutes later, carrying a handgun he’d taken from a safe, to check to see if the salesman was gone, according to court documents.

The victim told police he didn’t leave the neighborhood because he thought he had dropped his wallet and was looking for it.

McBride confronted the salesman about not leaving and shot him during the interaction, police said.

Court records about Scottsdale shooting include suspect and victim statements

The probable cause statement for McBride’s arrest contains accounts of the shooting from the suspect and the victim.

McBride told police he didn’t mean to fire the gun. He said he stepped aside as the victim rode toward him on his Segway, a scooter-like personal electric vehicle, while holding up his cellphone in his right hand.

McBride said he felt fearful and used his left hand, which was carrying the gun, to swipe at or block the victim’s hand. That’s when the gun went off, he told police.

“The defendant stated the victim went to the ground and at first, he did not realize the victim had been shot. The defendant told the victim twice to get up and leave the property, to which the victim responded that he could not move. The defendant then saw the victim’s back, lifting his shirt, and realizing he had been shot,” the probable cause statement says.

McBride then told his wife to call 911. The wife told police she didn’t know why her husband shot the man, according to court documents.

The victim told police McBride started yelling at him as he looked for his wallet. He said he was backing away on the Segway when McBride pulled out a handgun.

“The victim stated when he saw the gun he turned to leave and that was when he heard the gunshot and felt something in his back. The victim stated he fell to the ground and could not feel his legs,” the probable cause statement says.

Police arrested McBride and booked him into jail on felony counts of aggravated assault causing serious injury and disorderly conduct involving a weapon. His bond was set at $150,000.

McBride told police he was an experienced gun user and until recently had a membership at a Scottsdale gun club, where he went shooting regularly.

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