Cops: West Babylon gunman shot after threatening police

Firefighters responding to a West Babylon house fire were threatened by a man inside carrying a shotgun who then fled and was shot multiple times in a confrontation with Suffolk County police officers, authorities said.

Police said they were told the suspect, Thomas J. Scimone, 48, of 900 Fourth St., West Babylon, had a history of mental illness. He was in critical condition yesterday at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip.

The case is being investigated by the Arson Squad, Homicide Squad and the Internal Affairs Bureau, police said.

The fire was reported at 6:35 p.m. Saturday, Suffolk officials said. Firefighters from the West Babylon Fire Department responded and when they arrived, "observed smoke" coming from within the home.

Several firefighters entered the house, police said, to search for possible trapped occupants.

When they did, police said Scimone confronted them with a shotgun and, police said, he pointed the gun at them, threatened to shoot them and ordered them from the house.

Then, as firefighters scrambled out, police said Scimone fled through a rear window and ran into the neighborhood still carrying the weapon.

Five officers from the First Precinct later spotted Scimone on Sixth Street near 10th Avenue, jumped from their cars and took up positions around the vehicles, police said.

Police said those officers ordered Scimone to drop the shotgun several times - but said he pointed the gun at officers, who then shot him "multiple times."

Police did not say how many shots were fired and it was not immediately clear if the shotgun was loaded.

Police said Scimone did not fire his weapon.

It was not clear Sunday if he has threatened anyone else - or fired any shots - before being shot by police at 6:55 p.m.

The five officers were taken to a hospital for evaluation, but were not injured, according to officials.

Police said arson detectives will review how the fire started, while homicide detectives and IAB investigators will look into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

There have been a series of calls reporting disturbances at Scimone's house in recent years, and he has twice been committed to a hospital for psychological evaluation, police said.

He was also involved in an incident in 2005 in which he barricaded himself inside his house, officials said.

His family told detectives he has been diagnosed as paranoid and bipolar, police said. Officials believe Scimone lives alone and no one else was in the house at the time.