Gunshots fired at man in Heckscher Park maintenance cart, cops say

Gunshots Monday in Huntington missed the intended target — a man in a town-owned maintenance cart at Heckscher Park — but led to a lockout at district schools and lockdowns at several town buildings, police said.

There were no injuries or reported arrests and the schools' lockout and town lockdowns were lifted in the early afternoon.

Detectives from the Suffolk County Police Department's Second Squad said they were investigating the gunshots, which were fired from a vehicle near the park about 9:30 a.m. The vehicle fled the scene, according to police.

A police spokeswoman said a 22-year-old man was in the cart in the park at the time but was not hit by the gunfire.

"Detectives believe the shooting was targeted and not a random incident," the spokeswoman said.

In an email, Huntington Town spokeswoman Lauren Lembo said: "Based on information provided to us by the police department, the target was not a Town employee. The police department has asked us to refer all inquiries on this to their Public Information Office."

Suffolk police said the man's employer was not immediately clear.

Huntington Town Board member Gene Cook said many questions remain. The park is a popular village gathering spot, with a large fenced-in area for children in the middle, and home to the Heckscher Museum of Art. It's bordered by a church, residential homes and offices.

"Police are still investigating and once that’s done we’ll see what we can do and what actually happened," Cook said. "But right now it looks like everyone is safe, nobody was hurt. I’m not sure if it was an attempt on somebody's life or if it was just someone who was mad and shot up a golf cart."

School district superintendent Jim Polansky sent a recorded message to parents Monday morning directing parents and students not to come to school.

"The police are currently pursuing," Polansky said. "As a precaution, all Huntington schools will be placed into lockout, meaning there will be no entry or exit into the schools until cleared by SCPD. Please do not report to the schools. Further information will be shared upon receipt."

The district lifted the lockout about noon. Minutes later, the lockdowns were lifted at Huntington Town Hall, the Village Green and the senior center on Park Avenue.

Earlier, a spokeswoman for Huntington Supervisor Chad Lupinacci said in an email that buildings were shuttered temporarily out of an "abundance of caution."

"Town employees are still working and Town services may still be accessed online and by phone," the spokeswoman said. "Our Department of Public Safety is on scene to keep the area clear for the Suffolk County Police Department to conduct their investigation."

Huntington Town Clerk Andrew Raia said he was on his way to Town Hall when he received an email at 9:55 a.m. that said "town hall and the senior center were locked down … as of right now it appears no one was injured."

With John Asbury

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com,deborah.morris@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert,

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.