Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced the indictment of Steven Reid, 27, of Calverton after he opened fire at a candlelight vigil held in Bellport on July 6, 2023. Reid allegedly fled New York after the shooting and was arrested in North Carolina following a weeks-long investigation into his whereabouts.
“This defendant allegedly opened fire on an unsuspecting community gathered to mourn the loss of a loved one,” said District Attorney Tierney. “His alleged actions severely injured two individuals and put countless others in harm’s way. He then fled Suffolk County to try to avoid responsibility for these alleged actions. Through the great investigative work of our Suffolk County detectives, prosecutors and investigators, we were able to track him down, apprehend him and bring him back to Suffolk County where he will face these charges.”
According to the investigation, on July 6, 2023, more than 100 people gathered in Bellport to celebrate the life of a community member who had tragically died in a motorcycle accident days before. At the end of the candlelight vigil, Reid became involved in a physical altercation with another man who attended the vigil.
During the altercation, Reid pulled out a gun and shot the man at point-blank range in the upper right thigh. The bullet shattered the man’s femur, passed through his leg, and lodged into his right shin. Vigil attendees placed a tourniquet on the man’s leg and rushed him to the hospital where he underwent emergency orthopedic surgery to replace his shattered femur with metal rods and pins.
Minutes later, the defendant followed the dispersing crowd and opened fire on another group of vigil attendees. Reid allegedly shot at one man from close range. The victim suffered four gunshot wounds, including gunshot wounds to his back, shoulder, and both of his legs. Immediately thereafter, Reid twice opened fire at a female adult two times and then shot at another group of people including one woman and a nine-year old boy as they were running away to a nearby residence.
The Suffolk County Police Department’s Fifth Precinct Detectives Squad launched an investigation after Reid fled the scene. Reid remained at large until he was located on September 19, 2023, in North Carolina by members of the United States Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Task Force with the assistance of the Suffolk County Police Department. On September 26, 2023, the Fugitive Unit of the Suffolk County Police Department returned Reid to New York to face charges from the shootings.
Reid is charged with:
- Two counts of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, Class B violent felonies;
- One count of Assault in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony;
- One count of Attempted Assault in the First Degree, a Class C violent felony;
- One count of Assault in the Second Degree, a Class D violent felony;
- Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, Class C violent felonies; and
- One count of Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree, a Class D felony.
On October 6, 2023, Reid was arraigned on the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Philip Goglas. Judge Goglas ordered Reid remanded without bail or bond during the pendency of the case. Reid is being represented by Eric Pack, Esq. His next court date is November 18, 2023 before the Honorable Anthony S. Senft, Acting Supreme Court Justice.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Anne E. Oh of the Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau with investigative assistance from Detective Wilson Nieves of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Fifth Squad, United States Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Task Force and the Computer Crimes Unit and Fugitive Squad of the Suffolk County Police Department.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.