Staten Island Cops Freaked Out Over Photos of People with Guns Who Were Probably Just Paintballers

Photos of what looked like a couple of people with big guns in a Staten Island parking lot had the borough's residents freaking out Friday afternoon.

Panic and confusion erupted after a picture taken by a retired NYPD cop in the Midland Beach neighborhood depicted a woman in a headscarf holding either a paintball gun or, more ominously, some kind of assault rifle.

By late Friday afternoon, traffic on the island was reportedly a total nightmare. According to the Staten Island Advance, there's a heavy police presence at Gateway National Recreational Area in the neighborhood of Fort Wadsworth. CBS News is also reporting that all vehicles leaving the island are being checked. The ones in the photographs bear New Jersey plates A83FCB and PSJ52V; NYPD Deputy Commissioner John J. Miller said in a statement this afternoon that "interviews conducted by NYPD and FBI investigators in New Jersey have revealed that the registered owner of one of the vehicles indicated that he was planning to go paintball shooting with friends today."

Local cops were likely already on edge because today is the one-year anniversary of Eric Garner's death. The 43-year-old father of six was standing on the sidewalk in Staten Island's Tompkinsville neighborhood on July 17, 2014, when he was put into an illegal chokehold by Officer Daniel Pantaleo. After crying "I can't breathe" 11 times—video of the altercation went viral and sparked protests around the country—Garner went into cardiac arrest en route to the hospital and died. About three dozen people gathered Friday at the scene of the confrontation in order to celebrate Garner's life, the New York Times reported. A white dove was let loose by Garner's 15-month-old daughter Legacy.

Earlier this week, Garner's family settled with New York City for $5.9 million before their wrongful death lawsuit went to trial. Meanwhile, Officer Pantaleo is still under 24-hour surveillance for his own safety.

CBS News pointed out that officers are also on edge after yesterday's shooting in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

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