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Still no charges in Destrehan shooting following car crash

The altercation escalated. Wodarczyk said he witnessed the elderly man who followed his neighbor home fire his gun.

ST. CHARLES PARISH, La. — A car crash led to a shooting in Destrehan Tuesday. The St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office has not said if either of the men involved will face charges. The shooting happened around 4 p.m. in the driveway of one of the men involved. The crash that led to the shooting happened about a block away. 

"It's very unusual here. It's quiet, quiet town, no violence," witness Michael Wodarczyk said. 

Wodarczyk described his neighborhood along Villere Drive in Destrehan as safe, friendly, and quiet, but he watched it turn into a crime scene Tuesday afternoon after his neighbor, 51-year-old Michael Woulfe, pulled his truck into his driveway.

"Pulled his truck in, nothing unusual, and the other car pulled behind him and once they both got out, they started arguing and I didn’t go over at first because I figured it wasn’t my business, then I heard, 'going to shoot you,' or something. That’s when I went over and I got between them to try and break it up," Wodarczyk said. 

The altercation escalated. Wodarczyk said he witnessed the elderly man who followed his neighbor's home fire his gun.

"He got the gun and pointed it right at his belly and shot him," Wodarczyk said. 

According to detectives, it all started with a car crash about a block over on Ormond Boulevard. Around 4 p.m., detectives said Woulfe was driving his black truck and collided with a silver Mercedes driven by 78-year-old Walter Tabary. Woulfe did not stop after the crash and continued to his home on Villere Drive across from Cypress Lakes Country Club. Tabary, with his wife in the car, followed Woulfe to his home while calling 911. According to detectives, Woulfe walked up to Tabary and the two ended up in an altercation, leading to Woulfe being shot in the stomach.

"Eventually that older feller got back in his car. Mike was very upset at that point and he tried to get into the car, he got a wrench and broke that window. That’s when the guy shot him two more times," Wodarczyk said. 

Tabary was treated on the scene for injuries on his face. Woulfe was airlifted to a hospital and underwent surgery. He's said to be in stable condition and is expected to fully recover.

Detectives are still interviewing witnesses and reviewing video footage. So far, neither of the men have been booked for any charges.

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