Raheem Campbell of Wyandanch shot in driveway, cops say

Avery Palmer, 16, left, and Bobby Green, 25, are charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the attempted robbery and shooting Jan. 16, 2016, in Wyandanch. Credit: SCPD
A Wyandanch man was shot in his driveway late Friday during an attempted robbery that led to a police foot chase and the arrests of two men, authorities said Sunday.
Both suspects were charged Sunday with criminal possession of a weapon, but neither was charged with the actual shooting.
Raheem Campbell, 21, was getting into his car outside his family’s Nicolls Road home when a mugger came from behind about 8:45 p.m. and demanded money, said Det. Sgt. James Murphy of the First Precinct.
Campbell asked something along the lines of “Who are you?” and the shooter fired one bullet, hitting the victim in the stomach, the detective sergeant said.
“There was no struggle,” Murphy said. “For whatever reason, he shot him.”
A family member called 911, and witnesses told Suffolk County police the gunman took off in a white Jeep Liberty.
Campbell was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, where he underwent surgery and was in stable condition Sunday morning, police said.
Less than seven minutes after the holdup, two patrol officers spotted a white Jeep on Brooklyn Avenue in Wyandanch and tried to pull it over, police said.
But the Jeep driver turned into a Brooklyn Avenue driveway, where Bobby Green Jr., 25, and Avery Palmer, 16, jumped out and fled on foot before being outrun and arrested, police said.
A loaded, semi-automatic handgun was found in the Jeep, police said.
Green, of Cocoanut Street in Central Islip, and Palmer, of North Emerald Lane in Amityville, were arraigned in District Court in Central Islip on identical charges of second-degree criminal possession of a loaded weapon and third-degree criminal possession of a high capacity ammunition clip. Both men pleaded not guilty and bail was set for each at $200,000 bond or $100,000 cash.
An order of protection also was issued against Green, keeping him from having any contact with the shooting victim and his family.
It was not immediately clear whether the suspects and the victim knew each other. Police said the investigation was continuing.
Green had three prior felony convictions, including two violent offenses, prosecutors told the judge.
Ian Fitzgerald, Green’s court-appointed attorney, said his client “had nothing to do with the shooting.”
“He doesn’t know this person,” Fitzgerald said. “They can’t prove he was involved in the shooting.”
Palmer’s attorney, Nastasja Viveca Bellinger, of West Islip, said her client maintained his innocence and has no criminal record.
“He’s not charged with anything related to a shooting,” she said. She added, “There’s no indication how he was in possession of a loaded firearm.”
Online records show Palmer was arrested in August and charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The case is pending and he’s been free on $15,000 since posting bond Jan. 10.
The victim’s father, Donail Campbell, 40, speaking before the arraignment said in an interview his son, who lives with him, had returned home after a baby shower and was about to leave again when the shooting took place. Another family member witnessed it, he said.
“He was outside on the street . . . a car pulled up, dude hopped out the back,” Donail Campbell said of the family member’s account.
Donail Campbell said the shooter wore a mask and asked for money. His son initially thought it was a joke, he said, but then a shot was fired. “He walked back inside . . . by the time I turned around he was sitting. He said, ‘Dad, they shot me.’ ”
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