A simmering dispute between siblings turned into an attempted murder/suicide when an elderly Brooklyn man shot his brother and killed himself after a fight over the house they owned, sources said today.
Neighbors saw a bloodied James Athanasatos, 63, stagger into the street early this morning after they heard yelling and arguing from a basement apartment along 43rd Street in Borough Park.
Later, when police investigated the source of the dispute, they found Athanasatos’ brother, Thomas, 73, dead from a gunshot wound that was apparently self inflicted.
Cops said James, who was shot in the neck, was rushed to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. Sources said both men were shot with a homemade pellet gun.
“I heard yelling last night,” said neighbor Malky Goldberg, 40. “They were yelling in Greek. then everything got quiet. Then I saw a man outside bent over. Blood was pouring from his back and from his head. The police came. They were talking to him. They said, `Sir, are you ok?’ Tthen they put him on a stretcher.”
Neighbors said Thomas lived in the basement, but owned the house with his brother since their mother died several years ago. They rent out an upstairs apartment.
“When his mom passed away, Tom took care of the house and the bills,” said neighbor Angel Roldan Jr, 54, a carpenter. “Tom didn’t want to sell the house. His parents bought it and he believed in keeping it. His brother wanted to sell it.”