ATHOL – On Friday, October 2, 2026, at approximately 4:44 p.m., Athol Police Officer Andrew Morris was among the officers dispatched to 373 School Street following a report of a man firing a gun.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Andrew Morris and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
Officer Matthew Herk and Sergeant Randal Stange were also dispatched to the scene.
When Officer Morris arrived on scene, he said he spoke with the victim, but that neighbors were the ones who had called police.
“[The victim] stated that the other male party, who officers recognized as Corey Ryder, was on his property ‘looking for his phone,’” Officer Morris said.
According to police, Corey B. Ryder, 32, is a resident of Athol, MA.
Officer Morris said the victim told him he confronted Ryder, told him to leave his property, and Ryder complied. The victim said he had repeatedly told Ryder to stay off his property in the past when Ryder would cut through the woods there.
“[The victim] told Sergeant Stange that Ryder then left and returned to his apartment, retrieved an air pistol and returned to [the victim’s] property to look for his phone again,” Officer Morris said.
The victim told Officer Morris that when he confronted Ryder the second time, Morris pulled up his shirt and displayed a firearm.
“[The victim] stated that Ryder then pulled the air pistol out, pointed it at him and fired a shot in his direction, but did not hit [him],” Officer Morris said. “[The victim] stated that after Ryder fired a shot at him, he chased after him. [The victim] stated that he was the only one who chased after Ryder.”
Officer Morris said he then overheard Officer Herk and Sergeant Stange speaking with Ryder who stated that he did shoot at the victim, but it was in self-defense.
“Ryder told officers that [the victim] and two other male parties were trying to jump him, and were chasing after him, and that was the reason he fired a ‘warning shot,’” Officer Morris said. “Ryder repeatedly begged not to be arrested.”
Officer Morris said that, at around this time, he had established probable cause to arrest Ryder and took him into custody without incident.
While he was being arrested, Officer Morris said Ryder told him and Officer Herk, unprompted, that it was the “second time getting arrested for something I didn’t do, well I did do it.”
“Ryder did confirm for officers that the air pistol was back inside his apartment,” Officer Morris said.
Officer Morris transported Ryder to the Athol Police Department where he was booked without incident. Ryder’s bail was set at $1,500 cash.
After he was booked, Ryder was transported to the Franklin House of Corrections pending his arraignment.
Corey B. Ryder, 32, of Athol, was charged with the following:
- Assault with a Dangerous Weapon: “For pulling out an air pistol and shooting at [the victim] during an altercation on [the victim’s] property,” Officer Morris said.
- Trespass: “For returning to the property immediately after being told to leave and stay away from the property,” Officer Morris explained.
Ryder was arraigned in Orange District Court on Oct. 5, 2026. Following his arraignment, Ryder was released with GPS monitoring under the condition that he stay away from the victim, refrain from abusing or contacting the victim, possess no dangerous weapons and surrender his pellet guns.
Ryder’s next court date is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place earlier this month, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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