Authorities: Firefighter shot in Bellmore, gunman killed

A firefighter responding to a single-vehicle accident in Bellmore was shot and wounded by the occupant of the vehicle who was then shot to death by Nassau police, authorities said Tuesday night.

The firefighter, whose name was unknown Tuesday night, was taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, where his condition was unavailable.

Nassau police said the firefighter was struck at least once by gunfire in the upper torso, but his wound is not considered life-threatening.

He was among several firefighters responding to a call about 10 p.m., after the vehicle crashed into a utility pole on Bellmore Avenue near Claxton Avenue, police said. It was unknown why the male occupant of the vehicle opened fire at the firefighter as he and his colleagues approached the scene to render assistance.

Power was knocked out in the immediate vicinity of the crash due to the vehicle's collision with a utility pole, officials said.

Police said they recovered multiple weapons inside the vehicle. The occupant, who was pronounced dead at the scene, remained inside the vehicle early Wednesday as investigator closed off surrounding streets and continued to gather evidence.

At Nassau University Medical Center early Wednesday, nearly two dozen firefighters from the Bellmore and Wantagh fire departments, as well as several Nassau police officers, gathered outside the hospital's emergency room to await news of the victim's condition.

With Zachary R. Dowdy