Pictured is David Pittarelli, age 33. (Cropped Facebook Photo)
On April 30, a Union-Endicott graduate was shot and killed in Concord, N.C., a city located about 25 miles northeast of Charlotte, N.C.
Though he was living in Charlotte at the time of his death, the victim – David Pittarelli, 33 – grew up in the Southern Tier.
The details of what transpired are not entirely clear, but it is known that Pittarelli was shot by 22-year-old Ryan Cochran, a firefighter with the Kannapolis Fire Department.
According to a Concord Police Department press release, “After the initial investigation it appears that Ryan Cochran and his girlfriend were traveling on Concord Salisbury Road toward Concord when a vehicle began following them. The vehicle continued following them for several miles and into a residential neighborhood. Cochran stopped near the intersection of Plott Drive and Charing Lane. At that time there was a physical altercation and Pittarelli was shot.”
WBTV reported that Pittarelli was not armed, but WBNG reported that Cochran is still claiming self-defense.
Pittarelli’s father, also named David, told WBNG that police have kept him out of the loop of the investigation. He said, “I haven’t gotten any information. I have made numerous phone calls to the police department that is in charge of the investigation, left messages – not one returned call.”
Karly Thornton, who was friends with Pittarelli, called the situation “very sketchy.” She said, “All I know as of right now is that the person who shot him is not being charged with anything.”
Thornton grew up in Owego, though she now lives in Charlotte, N.C. She said that she’s known Pittarelli for about a decade and that they spent last Christmas together, since neither was returning home for the holidays.
Thornton said, “David had a huge heart, a massively huge heart. The number one thing that stands out about him is what a good a father he was to his five-year-old son. He was an amazing father, a very good-hearted person.” She added, “He had recently gotten a girlfriend and at work things were looking up for him.”
Now, she said, “I guess more than anything his family just wants answers.”
