Police that believe the gunmen who opened fire on a state corrections officer and his wife during a weekend home invasion intentionally targeted the worker, law-enforcement sources told The Post Monday.
“That’s what inmates do when they get out if they have a problem with you — they try to find you,” a high-ranking police source said.
Two men broke into corrections Officer Henry Wright’s Jamaica home just before 7 p.m. on Sunday and blasted five bullets into his torso and another into the shoulder of his wife, Sharon Floyd-Wright, 51, as she fought back with a hammer.
There were no immediate details as to the reason why the officer may have been targeted, but the source added that it’s the most probable cause.
Hours before the break-in, Floyd-Wright posted a message on her Facebook page that said, “Somebody Died Last Night, But We Didn’t. Somebody Didn’t Wake Up This Morning, But We Did. We Are Not Lucky, We Are Blessed!”
Floyd-Wright managed to whack one of the invaders in the head with a hammer before they fled from the couple’s home on Mathias Avenue – and neighbors said they aren’t surprised the “no-nonsense” wife fought back to defend her 58-year-old husband.
“She is a strong woman. No-nonsense woman. She’s a very loving person, but she does not stand for nonsense,” neighbor Evelyn Fowler, 69, said of Floyd-Wright.
“I wasn’t surprised at all,” by Wright’s wife coming to his defense, said neighbor James Best, 83.”She has always been a bold person, and she’s not the type to shrink away m a fight.
“Don’t get me wrong she’s not a bully, but growing up, the boys didn’t pick on her,” said Best who has known Floyd-Wright for nearly five decades.
The wounded couple is recovering at Jamaica Hospital.
Officers from the State Corrections and NYPD gathered in the ER at the hospital to show their support for Wright as he underwent surgery late Sunday.
“She is a very kind-hearted person. He is a very quiet person. He’s always working on something, either the house or his cars,” Fowler said of the couple. “I want the people who did this brought to justice! [The Wrights] did not deserve to be treated like this, bust in on and shot. It is terrifying.”
Neighbors admitted that they are one edge following the break-in.
“This makes me very scared. During the day, I am home alone. Most of the time in the yard. I do not feel safe here now,” Fowler said.
Police are still seeking the two gunmen, who are described as in their 20s and wearing black hoodies and blue jeans at the time of the crime.