Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Lawrence Brown Jr., 26, of Riverhead, was indicted for Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, and other related charges, in connection with a shooting in Hampton Bays.
“This arrest is an excellent example of the work that can be achieved when law enforcement agencies work together,” said District Attorney Tierney. “I commend the joint investigation conducted by the Town of Southampton Police Department, Riverhead Police Department, with our East End Drug Task Force along with our Gang Task Force. We look forward to holding this defendant accountable in court.”
“The extensive investigation conducted by the Southampton Town Police Detective Division in partnership with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Gang Task Force resulted in the successful arrest of Lawrence Brown Jr. and the recovery of a 9mm handgun that was allegedly used in a shooting into an occupied residence located in Hampton Bays. The collaborative effort resulted in an illegal handgun being removed from the streets before an innocent person could be injured or killed. Gun violence has no place in Southampton Town and will not be tolerated,” said Southampton Town Police Chief James Kiernan. “We will stop at nothing to bring those responsible for this type of violence to justice. We thank DA Tierney for his support of East End law enforcement and his partnership throughout this investigation.”
According to the investigation, on July 7, 2024, at about 11:40 p.m., Brown allegedly drove from his residence in Riverhead to Hampton Bays and fired five shots into the home of an individual he had been disputing with days leading up to the shooting. Nobody was injured during the incident.
The residents inside the Hampton Bays home were asleep when the shots were fired and they reported that they originally attributed the sounds of those shots to fireworks. The following day, they discovered the bullet holes in their home and immediately reported them to Southampton Town Police. Police responded to the home and recovered multiple expended 9mm caliber shell casings from the street in front of the Hampton Bays home.
On August 22, 2024, the Southampton Town Police Detective’s Division with the assistance of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office Gang Task Force, East End Drug Task Force, the Southampton Town’s Emergency Services Unit, Southampton Village K-9 Unit and the Riverhead Town Police Department executed a search warrant at Brown’s home in Riverhead. During the search, a 9mm caliber handgun was allegedly recovered from Brown’s bedroom.
On September 9, 2024, Brown was arraigned before, Acting Supreme Court Justice Anthony S. Senft, Jr. for the following charges contained in the indictment:
- Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, Class C violent felonies;
- One count of Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree, a Class D felony; and
- One count of Criminal Possession of a Firearm, a Class E felony.
Justice Senft ordered Brown held on $250,000 cash, $500,000 bond, or $2.5 million partially secured bond during the pendency of the case.
Brown is due back in court on September 24, 2024, and faces 15 years in prison if convicted on the top count. He is being represented by the Legal Aid Society.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Kristen Yeamans of the Violent Crime Enterprises Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Detective Donald Metcalf of the Southampton Town Police Department and Special Investigator Daniel Crerend of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.