Calverton man who shot 2 at Bellport vigil gets 14-year sentence
Suffolk County prosecutors Wednesday said a Calverton man who wounded two after opening fire at a Bellport candlelight vigil last summer was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Credit: James Carbone
A Calverton man who opened fire at a Bellport candlelight vigil last summer, wounding two and forcing a crowd to flee, was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years in prison, Suffolk County prosecutors said.
Steven Reid, 27, pleaded guilty last month to attempted murder, two counts of assault and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the July 6 shooting as well as an unprovoked attack on a Suffolk correction officer while in custody.
“This defendant’s brazen actions at a candlelight vigil followed by his violent attack on a corrections officer show a blatant disregard for the safety of others and the rule of law,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a department news release.
Reid had attended the Bellport vigil, which was held for the victim of a fatal motorcycle crash. At the end, according to court records, he began to fight with another man there.
Prosecutors said Reid admitted pulling a gun, shooting the man in the upper-right thigh and shattering the victim's femur. The bullet lodged in his right shin.
Reid then followed a crowd of more than 100 at the vigil as they attempted to flee and opened fire. Prosecutors said a man was shot in the back, shoulder and both legs.
U.S. marshals arrested Reid about two months later after he fled to North Carolina and turned him over to Suffolk authorities.
In December, while another inmate was being transferred back to his cell, Reid punched an officer three times in the face, Suffolk sheriff's officials said at the time.
Correction officers used pepper spray and a Taser to return Reid to his cell, officials said.
Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Anthony Senft ordered Reid to serve 14 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Reid was represented by Legal Aid.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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