Man charged with firing shot near Hempstead school

A Hempstead man has been arrested after allegedly firing a shot during an argument Monday morning on Albemarle Avenue in Hempstead, prompting a nearby elementary school to lock down.

According to Third Squad detectives, Chasten Florence, 21, of 95 Thorne Ave., approached a 22-year-old man on Albemarle Avenue about 11:18 a.m. Florence and the other man began to argue, police said, and Florence pulled out a handgun and fired a round into the air before fleeing on foot.

No injuries were reported, police said, but Barack Obama Elementary School, at 176 William St., about two blocks away, was put on temporary lockdown.

Florence was arrested at 3:54 a.m. Thursday, police said. He was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on charges of endangerment, weapons possession and menacing in First District Court in Hempstead.