Nassau police eyeing persons of interest in string of armed gas station robberies

Nassau County police have identified "persons of interest" in a spate of unsolved armed robberies they say are connected to a holdup in which a Jericho gas station attendant was fatally shot.

The string has prompted the department to increase patrols and review video surveillance in an attempt to crack the case considered a top priority by police brass.

The identities of the persons of interest were cultivated through tips from the public and the department's team of intelligence analysts, who comb through internal databases of prior offenders. Police would not identify how many such people they have zeroed in on, but Chief of Department Steven Skrynecki said at least some had already been eliminated as suspects.

At a department meeting of top commanders at police headquarters in Mineola Thursday, Skrynecki said investigators have received several tips in the case and patrol cops have been directed to focus on the pattern, which he called the department's "highest priority."

"I can't overemphasize the fact that there's about 2,000 cops on this job and 2,000 people better be aware of what's going on with this pattern and be 'Johnny on the spot' with this," Skrynecki said to the assembled command staff. "Nothing is more important right now than getting that individual or individuals."

Wednesday's armed robbery of a Sunoco gas station in East Meadow is believed to be connected to nine other robberies since Dec. 20 as well as the slaying in Jericho last month. The East Meadow robbery indicates a change in strategy by the suspect, who had previously targeted gas stations and convenience stores in Hicksville, Jericho and Westbury, police said. A Citgo station and a Mobil station in Westbury and a 7-Eleven store in Hicksville were each hit twice.

"Now we have to concern ourselves: This could occur anywhere in the county," Skrynecki said. "That is obviously concerning to me and should be concerning to everybody, that this individual is pushing out -- don't know whether he's pushing out a little bit because of our uptick in resource deployment into the areas that he has been in or for some other reason, but it's going to make our mission even more challenging."

On Jan. 28, Jericho gas station attendant Hany Awad was found fatally shot. Investigators believe it was a botched robbery attempt, probably committed by the same person who did the 10 armed robberies, but they won't say whether any money was taken.

Police have described the suspect as a 20- to 25-year-old man, about 5-foot-11 and dressed in all black, including gloves and a face mask. He's brandished either a silver or black revolver -- possibly a "K" frame with a 2 1/2 inch barrel -- and worn black Nike sneakers with red laces in each holdup, police said. In some of the robberies, he's also stolen cigarettes, police said.

Major Case Bureau Insp. Keechant Sewell, who briefed Skrynecki, Acting Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter and the other commanders during yesterday's meeting, said the department has seen a "notable increase in tips" since the announcement of a combined Crime Stoppers reward of $35,000 in the robberies and killing of Awad.

Investigators have conducted in-depth interviews with tipsters and witnesses and reviewed surveillance video, Sewell said.

"Every possible lead and avenue of investigation is being explored," Sewell said. "We are all well aware this problem is a priority of this department."

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.