One dead, another hurt in Christmas morning gunfire in Commack, Suffolk police say
One man was shot to death and another was injured early Christmas morning after an exchange of gunfire on Moreland Road in Commack, Suffolk police said.
Police said in a release that a man with a gun entered a facility at 450 Moreland Rd. at 12:45 a.m. and demanded to see a resident. An employee brought him to the resident’s room, which was also occupied by a 17-year-old and a toddler, police said.
The gunman moved the group into the facility’s lobby, where they were confronted by a relative of the resident. The two shot at each other inside and outside the facility, police said.
The gunman was declared dead at the scene and the relative was taken to a local hospital for treatment of serious injuries, police said.
Police received multiple 911 calls over the shooting. Officers responded but did not fire any shots, a police spokesman said. Investigators were reviewing surveillance footage of the incident.
Police did not identify either man involved in the shooting. Nor did they identify the facility, but a 2017 police department community relations report said it was run by Community Housing Innovations, an organization that provides housing and social services. A Moreland Family Shelter appears on the organization’s website, but no address is listed.
Alexander H. Roberts, Community Housing Innovations’ executive director, said in an email that his organization is "cooperating with Suffolk County police, which has asked us to direct all inquiries to their office."
Moreland Road, less than a mile long, runs through the Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge.
Nicholas Spangler is a general assignment reporter and has worked at Newsday since 2010.
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