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<p>BERWICK &#8212; As he was led into a district judge&#8217;s office Monday morning, his hands cuffed in front of him, shooting suspect James Francis Calderone paused briefly for a few drags on a cigarette offered by a woman claiming to be his wife of 13 years.</p><p>Calderone, 35, appeared before Columbia County Magisterial District Judge Richard Knecht for a preliminary hearing on charges stemming from a November shooting at the Berwick Industrial Development Association (BIDA) business park, where investigators allege he opened fire with an AK-47-type rifle on both employees and responding police officers, wounding one before being disabled by officers&#8217; return fire.</p><p>The hearing, which lasted about two hours, included testimony from a maintenance manager whom Calderone allegedly shot at. Police officers who responded to the scene also testified about the shootout with Calderone, which left one officer with minor injuries.</p><p>After the smoke cleared, Knecht waived all of Calderone&#8217;s charges onto higher court.</p><p>Among those testifying was Clair Hock, the complex&#8217;s maintenance manager. Hock testified he responded to a report of a vehicle crash involving an SUV and a trailer so he could take a photo.</p><p>He testified he had arrived at the scene in a golf cart when he heard Calderone yelling he &#8220;had troubles.&#8221; Hock managed to snap two photos on his cellphone &#8212; one of which appeared to show Calderone holding a rifle &#8212; before Calderone allegedly shot towards Hock.</p><p>Hock said he then attempted to leave, but his golf cart wouldn&#8217;t start.</p><p>&#8220;When I didn&#8217;t leave, he started shooting at me a second time,&#8221; Hock said, adding he remembered dirt flying in front of the golf cart from the gunfire. &#8220;It kind of had me mesmerized when I saw it.&#8221;</p><p>Hock said he left the scene on foot.</p><p>Trooper Kenneth Houck Jr., an investigator with the Pennsylvania State Police, later testified he found &#8220;no less than six&#8221; rounds had struck the golf cart, two of them in the vehicle&#8217;s windshield.</p><p><strong>Police response</strong></p><p>Officers who responded that day testified about the intensity of the situation, from their pleading with Calderone to put the weapon down to rendering first aid after he was shot.</p><p>Det. Gregory Martin, of the Berwick Police Department, who sustained minor injuries in the shootout, testified he arrived on the scene after being notified of a car crash in the industrial complex.</p><p>Martin said he was told there might be a gun in the vehicle.</p><p>He arrived on the scene with other officers, who were armed with assault rifles and clad in body armor. Martin said he tried talking with Calderone, who was loading a fresh magazine into the rifle.</p><p>Martin testified Calderone said, &#8220;Kill me, just shoot me in the (expletive) head&#8221; in response to his pleas. Narcotics Officer Brandon Shultz and officer Reagan Rafferty also testified Calderone shouted similar statements when they tried to get him to put his weapon down.</p><p>&#8220;I distinctly remember him saying, &#8216;I don&#8217;t want to hurt any of you guys&#8217;,&#8221; Shultz testified.</p><p>Rafferty, however, said Calderone told officers, &#8220;If you don&#8217;t (kill me), I&#8217;ll hurt you.&#8221;</p><p>Martin testified responding officers moved near two small metal towers nearby when Calderone moved behind the crashed SUV and out of site, adding they feared he would open fire on civilians still within the complex.</p><p>It was then, Martin testified, Calderone opened fire and Martin felt something hit him in the head. Rafferty testified he returned fire, striking Calderone several times and ending the encounter.</p><p>Martin told the court he still has three pieces of metal lodged between his scalp and skull, but is unsure if the fragments are shrapnel or bullet fragments. He was able to evaluate his wound and remain on the scene, and later went to a medical facility for treatment of his injuries.</p><p>Shultz described some of Calderone&#8217;s wounds to the court, testifying a &#8220;large chunk&#8221; of one of his calf muscles was missing and he had sustained what officers initially believed to be a potentially fatal sucking chest wound. Rafferty also testified Calderone pleaded with him to &#8220;let him die.&#8221;</p><p>Calderone walked with a noticeable limp as he entered and left Knecht&#8217;s courtroom.</p><p>Houck testified his investigation determined Calderone fired &#8220;not less than 35&#8221; rounds over the course of the incident, while Rafferty fired approximately 20 rounds.</p><p>The state police investigator said he met with Calderone Nov. 12 at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, where Calderone had been taken for treatment after being taken into custody. During that meeting, Houck testified Calderone claimed the only thing he remembered from the day of the shooting was having coffee with his wife that morning.</p><p>Houck also testified Calderone allegedly said, &#8220;I can&#8217;t believe it happened&#8221; and asked if the responding officers were injured, which Houck said made him believe Calderone was aware of the shooting itself.</p><p>Calderone is charged with four counts of attempt to commit criminal homicide, seven counts of first-degree aggravated assault and eight counts of second-degree aggravated assault.</p><p>Court documents don&#8217;t indicate when a formal arraignment will be held. Calderone remains jailed at the Columbia County Prison for lack of $1 million bail. Calderone&#8217;s attorney, Frank Kepner, argued for $100,000 bail, citing his client&#8217;s clean previous criminal record and family ties to the area, but Knecht denied the request.</p><p>Kepner declined to comment after the hearing. Prosecutor Daniel Lynn, an assistant district attorney for Columbia County, also declined to comment.</p><p>The woman who claimed to be Calderone&#8217;s wife appeared to be emotionally distraught during the hearing and declined to give her name or to speak with the media.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_Calderone1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">James Francis Calderone takes a drag of a cigarette from a woman claiming to be his wife. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_Calderone1.jpg</photo0><caption0>James Francis Calderone takes a drag of a cigarette from a woman claiming to be his wife. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_Calderone-Gun.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A photo taken by Clair Hock appears to show James Francis Calderone pointing a rifle at him. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_Calderone-Gun.jpg</photo1><caption1>A photo taken by Clair Hock appears to show James Francis Calderone pointing a rifle at him. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Travis Kellar</p><p>tkellar@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Travis Kellar at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @TLNews</p></shirttailMeta></div>

James Calderone headed to Columbia County Court on charges from Berwick industrial park shooting