Accused Gunman In Mountainview Condos Shooting Indicted

 A Valley Cottage man accused of shooting his neighbor for no apparent reason as the neighbor walked his dog has been indicted on attempted murder charges by a Rockland County grand jury in New City.

Clarkstown police say they still don’t know what brought about the early-morning shooting on Aug. 23 at the Mountainview Condominiums complex. The shooting turned the sprawling complex into an armed camp during a five-hour manhunt for Eric Goods, 53, of 585 Sierra Vista Lane. Goods was found hiding in the woods near the mountaintop condo complex and was taken into custody without a fight.

Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe said Goods has also been indicted on charges of first-degree assault, a felony, first-degree criminal use of a firearm, a felony, and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a felony. Goods is being held in the Rockland County Correctional Center in New City.

Clarkstown police charged Goods with shooting neighbor Edward Kern, 33, who lives just two doors over from Goods in the same building at Mountainview condos. Police said the two men had very little, if any, interaction and there was no apparent history of any incidents at the complex that could have sparked the shooting.

Kern was shot at close-range several times as he walked his dog. Police said Kern likely survived the shooting because of his fast reactions to move aware from the shooter. Kern was hit in the back of his head, in the lower back and in an arm and a leg. Zugibe said Kern needed surgery to repair a broken arm sustained in the shooting.

After the shooting, residents of the Valley Cottage and Nyack areas awoke to find police road blocks — with officers carrying automatic weapons ­— and the county’s emergency helicopter flying low over the area as part of a manhunt. Initially, Goods was cited as a “person of interest” by police. The manhunt involved police dogs and officers from numerous police agencies in Rockland and Westchester.

Police said a Mountainview condos resident gave them a tip about a wooded area in which he had previously seen Goods. As police and police dogs searched that area, Goods came out of the woods near Mountainview Avenue and was immediately spotted and arrested by police officers.

No one was injured in the manhunt. Police said that they did not find any clues for a motive in the shooting when they searched Goods’ condo and car. Police, however, noted that Goods was facing foreclosure on his condo.

At his arraignment in Clarkstown Town Court the day after the shooting, Goods did not say anything. Goods awaits another arraignment on the indictments against him.

If convicted in the shooting, Goods faces 25 years in state prison.