Police say the salesman was shot in the lower back after a dispute over whether he should leave a gated neighborhood.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ — An 80-year-old Scottsdale man faces felony charges after police say he shot a door-to-door salesman in the lower back during a confrontation Sunday afternoon in a gated north Scottsdale community.
Patrick Joseph McBride was arrested on charges of aggravated assault causing serious injury and disorderly conduct involving a weapon, according to police and court records cited by local news organizations. The salesman, whose name had not been released, was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. Authorities said Monday that he was in stable condition. Court records described a spinal injury, and the man told investigators after the shooting that he could not feel his legs.
The shooting happened Sept. 13 after the salesman entered the neighborhood while offering window-washing services, according to court records. The man approached McBride’s home and asked for water. McBride told investigators he became suspicious of the salesman and told him that he was not allowed in the private community. The salesman then left the immediate area on an electric Segway but remained in the neighborhood because he believed he had lost his wallet and wanted to find it.
About 10 minutes later, McBride went outside to determine whether the salesman had left, according to accounts attributed to court documents. McBride was carrying a handgun. He eventually encountered the salesman again, and the two men gave investigators sharply different accounts of what happened immediately before the gun fired.
McBride told detectives that the salesman rode toward him on the Segway while holding up a cellphone. McBride said he feared the man might do something to him and drew his handgun. He told investigators he used the hand holding the weapon in an attempt to block or swipe at the salesman’s raised hand and that the gun discharged during the encounter. McBride maintained that he had not intended to shoot the man.
The salesman told police that McBride approached him while yelling as he searched for his missing wallet. According to the salesman’s account in court records, McBride pulled out a handgun as the salesman backed away. The salesman said he turned to leave after seeing the gun and was then shot in the back. Police said the gunshot wound was in his lower back.
McBride initially did not realize the salesman had been shot, according to his account to investigators. Court records say he told the man to get up and leave before realizing he was injured. McBride’s wife called 911 and used towels on the wound while they waited for emergency responders. McBride remained at the scene and was detained when officers arrived.
Investigators also examined the handgun involved in the shooting. Police said its trigger guard was cracked and partly broken. Officers also found a spent shell casing in McBride’s possession. McBride told investigators that he picked it up because he wanted to preserve it as evidence. He told police he had extensive experience handling firearms and said during his first court appearance that he had attended the U.S. Air Force Academy and later served in the Air Force.
Police said there were no other suspects and described the shooting as an isolated incident with no continuing threat to the neighborhood. Authorities had not publicly identified the injured salesman as of the latest reports, and investigators had not announced a final determination about the conflicting accounts of how the confrontation unfolded.
McBride was being held on $150,000 bond after appearing in court Sept. 14. His next court date was scheduled for Sept. 21. The charges are allegations, and McBride has not been convicted. The Scottsdale Police Department said the investigation remained active.
Author note: Last updated September 15, 2026.