Man shot and killed in North Bellmore

At 11:36 p.m. on Sunday, Nassau County Police received a call that shots were fired at 925 East Meadow Ave. in North Bellmore. At the shooting site, officers found Hasan Kaya, 49, lying on the front stoop, bleeding heavily from multiple gunshot wounds, said Detective Lt. John Azzata. Kaya was rushed to Nassau University Hospital in East Meadow, where he was pronounced dead.

Police, who said Kaya may have been targeted, were still surveying the area and conducting their investigation on Monday morning. Kaya was not the homeowner, but a renter at the house. Officials said they believe Kaya was attempting to enter his apartment at the back of the home when the shooter approached him.

“As he was confronted, he was possibly chased,” Azzata said, noting that the victim appears to have run to the front of the house, possibly to seek help. “He succumbed to [his] injuries on the front stairs,” Azzata added.

Azzata said Kaya had no immediate family in the area. He was renting the lower section of the ranch-style home; the homeowners live on the upper level and use the front door as an entrance.

Neighbors Joan and Joseph Ott, who have lived in their home for 56 years, said they believe the man might have been a limousine driver. Joseph Ott was watching TV when he heard the gunshots.

“I heard four shots and they were distinct,” he said.

His wife said that they did not know Kaya, and the homeowners were very private. Joan noted that the rented room often changed tenants. “We know people come and go,” she said.

Similar details provided by neighbors were not confirmed by police. Authorities did not reveal a motive for the attack. Officials said the victim was shot with a semi-automatic rifle, and police were looking for one bullet casing in the area, according to Azzata. Another casing had already been located.