Woman tells 911 dispatcher renowned Olympian shot her

Days after a woman claimed her life was in danger on a social media post, someone shot her several times at an upscale New Jersey equestrian center. As she gasped for breath while talking to a 911 dispatcher, she reportedly named her alleged shooter.

“Michael Barisone shot me,” Lauren Kanarek said to the dispatcher on Wednesday, New York Post reports, citing court documents.

Kanarek, a dressage rider, was shot numerous times at close range in the chest, at an equestrian center in Long Valley at 411 West Mill Road. Her current condition is unknown, but first responders rushed her to the Morristown Medical Center for emergency surgery, according to the New York Times.

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On Thursday, police arrested Michael Barisone, 54, the owner of the center and an Olympic dressage riding coach.

A motive in the shooting is currently unknown, but according to a police source, Barisone was reportedly in the process of evicting Kanarek and her fiancé from a farmhouse they were renting on Barisone’s 53-acre property.

“I don’t know what caused [Barisone] to go off that day — I think he just had enough,” a police source told the Post. “He wanted them out of there.”

This May 2009 photo shows Michael Barisone at his equestrian farm in Washington Township, N.J. The former U.S. Olympic dressage athlete is accused of shooting a woman at his New Jersey farm where he trains equestrian athletes. Prosecutors in Morris County, on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019, charged the 54-year-old with two counts of attempted murder and weapons offenses. (Nancy Jaffer via AP)

The source indicated that Kanarek had made several complaints about coding violations at the farmhouse.

Five days prior to the shooting, Kanarek posted on Facebook that she recently tried to report a “well-known dressage trainer” to the U.S. Center for SafeSport. On the Facebook post, which has since been deleted, Kanarek said she was afraid and was being bullied.

“I’m being bulled by a 6’3 man. Bullied to the point I’m afraid. It’s very complicated — I’m not sure of what I can say here — but it seems as if Safe Sport was created for exactly this reason.”

Kanarek also spoke of getting “whacked” and thoughts of getting a gun for self-defense purposes. She reportedly said she was afraid to move from the farm because she feared her horses would get hurt.

“Harm will come to me before I ever let harm come to them,” she wrote.

Barisone is facing charges of attempted murder and weapons possession.

The story continues to develop. Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.

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