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Perry board member accused of murder was 'friends' with victim

The shooting victim's girlfriend said it wasn't uncommon for Robert "Robbie" Irvine III to stop by Joe's Mlyniec's farm.

PERRY, N.Y. — We are learning more about the victim in Wednesday's deadly shooting and the man accused of pulling the trigger.

Christina King had been dating Robert "Robbie" Irvine III for about a year and a half.

She said he and the suspect, Joseph Mlyniec, were friends. King said it wasn't unusual for Irvine to stop by Mlyniec's home/farm on Rt. 246 because he had some belongings stored there and worked on his car on the property.

Irvine was shot dead in the driveway, allegedly at the hands of Mlyniec, though King can't fathom why.

King tells 2 On Your Side that Irvine worked as a mechanic and had a 9-year-old daughter.

Mlyniec was a member of the Perry Center Fire Department. He served on the Perry Town Board for four years and just began a second four-year term in January.

Town Supervisor Jim Brick has known Mlyniec for 40 years. In addition to being on the board together, the two are also neighbors.

He retired from the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office in 2008. He held the rank of patrol sergeant.

He returned to the department as a part-time deputy sheriff in 2009 before leaving in 2013.

The Wyoming County District Attorney and Wyoming County Sheriff said Mlyniec was a pistol permit holder. They said Irvine was killed with a handgun, though they didn't say to whom it belonged.

Mlyniec had no prior criminal record. Police say they had previous contact with Irvine and that he was "in their system." The sheriff said that doesn't necessarily mean it was criminal in nature.

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