Meet the neighbor who rushed to subdue a shooter at a Manlius gas station. ‘It was just instinct’

Manlius, NY — Robert Sherlock was at home in Manlius Monday night when he thought he heard lightning strike.

Less than 30 seconds later, he received a call from his co-worker at a nearby Sunoco gas station.

It wasn’t thunder he heard, but a gunshot, his colleague told him, and she heard screams.

She told Sherlock she was closing the store. Then he rushed to the gas station less than 150 meters away.

“It was just instinct,” he said.

Sherlock spoke to Syracuse.com about how he came to the rescue in a volatile situation.

As he approached the store, Sherlock said, he passed Richard J. Bradley, who was standing next to his SUV and looking into the woods.

“I didn’t think it was him (with the gun),” Sherlock said. “So I just said, ‘Hey, how’s it going?'”

Bradley didn’t answer, so Sherlock approached him, thinking something was wrong.

As he approached, he noticed Bradley was shaking, a confused look on his face, he said. Sherlock then noticed the rifle lying on the ground next to Bradley.

Seeing the gun and the expression on Bradley’s face, the situation became clearer to Sherlock.

“I felt horrible. I knew he was in a very difficult situation,” he said. “I didn’t feel threatened by him … He wasn’t there to shoot other people.”

Sherlock said he grabbed Bradley by the shoulder, kicked the gun away and made sure to put himself between him and the gun. Sherlock said he then told Bradley, “Everything is going to be okay. Is there anything I can do for you? An ambulance is on the way.”

As Sherlock held Bradley while waiting for police to arrive, Bradley suddenly tried to rip a windshield wiper blade off the car, Sherlock said. Sherlock said he thought Bradley might try to hurt himself or use it as a weapon.

So Sherlock said he immediately wrapped his arms around Bradley and pulled him away from the SUV.

They ended up on the ground until police arrived a few minutes later and handcuffed Bradley.

Before Sherlock arrived at the gas station, Manlius police said Bradley, 35, of East Syracuse, appeared to have fired four rounds from an AR-15 rifle from inside his BMW before it crashed.

Two live rounds were later found in the gun’s chamber, police said in a criminal complaint.

The shots were fired from the rear of the SUV, toward the ground, police said. Sherlock said the SUV was facing the road and away from the store, located at 7525 Kirkville Road.

No one was injured and no property was damaged. One person was inside the store and another was nearby in the parking lot, police said in court documents.

Police said Bradley could not explain why he stopped at the gas station or why he fired the rifle. He was under the influence of drugs at the time of the shooting.

Bradley was arrested Tuesday morning after receiving treatment at the hospital. He is being held at the Onondaga County Justice Center Jail. His bail has been set at $200,000 cash or $500,000 surety.

Fernando Alba, Editor-in-Chief, covers news, crime and public safety. Do you have a tip, story idea, question or comment? Contact him at [email protected].