Man shot in the back while walking to store

MONTICELLO –Police are investigating a shooting and another report of shots being fired, both within 45 minutes of each other.

A 22-year-old man, who was walking in the back parking lot of the store heading toward a path through the woods between the Evergreen Drive and a Stewart’s Shop on Forestburg Road at 9:35 p.m. was shot in the back, Monticello Village Police said. He entered the store, told the clerks he had been shot.

The victim, who sustained a collapsed lung, was transported by ambulance to Catskills Regional Medical Center where he was airlifted to Westchester Medical Center in stable condition.

Police are also investigating a report of shots being fired about 45 minutes earlier on Franklin Avenue near Summerville Field tennis courts.

Shotgun shell casings were recovered from that scene and there were no reports of injuries received by police.

It is unknown if the incidents are related.

Police are following leads in the shooting of the man.

State Police and the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation.