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Sherman Man Charged With Second-Degree Manslaughter; Bail Posted

Patrick Swanson announces the indictment against Jadlowski during a press conference in Mayville. P-J photo by Katrina Fuller

MAYVILLE — A hunter from Sherman who allegedly shot and killed his neighbor last week was indicted Thursday by the grand jury on charges of second-degree manslaughter and hunting after hours.

Chautauqua County District Attorney Patrick Swanson and Sheriff Joe Gerace held a press conference in Mayville to announced the decision. The grand jury felt there was enough evidence to charge Thomas Jadlowski, 34, in the death of Rosemary “Rosie” Billquist, 43.

The alleged incident occurred the day before Thanksgiving. Jadlowski told police he thought he saw a deer that night– about a half hour after sunset — when he fired a pistol. The shot struck Billquist, who was walking her two dogs near her home on Armenian Road in Sherman. After the shooting, Jadlowski found Billquist and called 911. He applied pressure to her wound while waiting for first responders to arrive, the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office said at the time.

Billquist was taken to an Erie, Pa., hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Jadlowski was arraigned in Chautauqua County Court in front of Judge David Foley where he pleaded not guilty. Bail was set at $50,000 cash, $100,000 property. He is due back in court Jan. 29.

“It is my understanding that Jadlowski has posted bail and will be released,” Gerace said during the conference.

Swanson said the weapon believed to have been used in the case is classified as a pistol and is known as a Thompson Contender. Swanson said the weapon is classified as a handgun, but does not fall under the “Gun Done” policy. The “Gun Done” policy involves not negotiating or taking a plea deal for cases that include criminal possesion of a firearm. Jadlowski was in possession of the gun legally.

The pistol fires a 35 caliber round, which Swanson said is “essentially a rifle round.”

He said the weapon is a pistol by classification only because the barrel is shorter than 20 inches.

Swanson said the investigation by the Sheriff’s Office and the DEC commenced immediately. He said the district attorney’s office assisted with the investigation and ensured the proper evidence was collected and leads were tracked down so a complete analysis could be completed. Swanson said the findings were presented to the grand jury on Thursday.

Swanson thanked both the DEC and the Sheriff’s Office for their efforts, and specifically mentioned the Sherman Volunteer Fire Department.

“They responded within minutes of the 9-1-1 call going out,” he said. “They’re really a top notch group of volunteers in the community, and I wanted to make sure I thanked them.”

Swanson relayed his “deepest condolences” for the families. He said he grew up in Sherman and knows the Billquist and Jafarjian families.

“It’s a small town, and they’re struggling right now because it’s a tragedy that is affecting a very large portion of that community,” he said.

Swanson said he knew both Billquist and Jadlowski in passing, but not well enough to recuse himself from the case.

As to the reason for the delayed indictment, Swanson said Jadlowski was not charged at the scene due to the need for a “thorough and complete investigation” to be completed before moving forward, Swanson said. He said there is no allegation that it was intentional.

“Given the nature of this particular incident, it would not have been pertinent to move forward right away without the evidence that we needed,” Swanson said.

The indictment comes after more than a week of intense media coverage of the fatal shooting. News of Billquist’s death was covered by the New York Times, Washington Post and CNN, among other outlets.

After the conference, Swanson said he feels more pressure regarding the case as a member of the community and making sure justice is ensured for everyone involved than he does from the national media coverage it is attracting.

“This isn’t a person that acted with malice, but at the same time, you have a significant loss from the Billquist family,” he said. “We just want to make sure we do everything we can to ensure that everyone walks away from this feeling as good as they possibly can. In a case like this, and many of the cases we deal with, you really have no winners.”

Gerace said some of the pressure surrounding the case has come from individuals misunderstanding the process.

“We wanted to take our time to collect as much evidence as possible and give the D.A. the tools to take to the grand jury,” he said. “Had we rushed through this, there could have been a lot of issues that could have prevented us from this end result, but we were not in a hurry nor were we going to have the pressure make us move quicker than we felt comfortable.”

Department of Environmental Conservation Captain Frank Lauricella also addressed the press, expressing condolences on behalf of the Department of Environmental Conservation to the family of Billquist.

Lauricella said the involvement of the DEC in a case such as this is mandated by Environmental Conservation Law to assist local agencies with hunting-related shooting incidents. Laricella then cautioned sportsmen and hunters to “pay attention to … basic firearm safety,” especially knowing what the target is and what is beyond it.

“Pay attention to the hunting regulations,” he said. “They’re there for a reason, so that incidents like this don’t happen.”

Laricella said the regulations in the area regarding big game hunting are from sunrise to sunset. He said the regulations exist so that game is not being pursued in “low-light hours.”

“Once the bullet, projectile (or) pellets leave the barrel, you cannot call them back,” Laricella said. “If you cannot 100 percent identify your target, don’t shoot. The default is not to shoot — it’s NOT to shoot.”

A funeral for Billquist was held Wednesday at the Sherman Community Church. Billquist, who went by “Rosie,” worked at UPMC Chautauqua WCA for 25 years and volunteered with hospice. Many friends called her a kind and selfless person.

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