By Anthony Rifilato
Police said the 18-year-old victim was rushed to Nassau University Medical Center on April 30, where he was listed in serious but stable condition at press time. Police are searching for the suspect, described only as a Hispanic male, who fled the scene.
"We have a situation where six or seven young people were hanging out back there," First Precinct Det. Lt. Andrew Fal said of the incident. He said that during an altercation, the suspect produced a gun and shot the victim. "People simply dispersed right after," Fal said.
He explained that after the victim was shot at around 10 p.m., he ran through an alley or an apartment building from the municipal parking lot and onto Grand Avenue, looking for help. Police arrived shortly afterward, and the victim was picked up and treated by a Nassau County ambulance, with additional support by the nearby Baldwin Fire Department emergency personnel.
Fal said it was too early to determine if the shooting was gang related. Detectives are still waiting for the victim to regain consciousness in the hope of identifying the suspect, said Fal. Other witnesses are being less than cooperative, he added.
The victim was found with two female friends, but Fal said the women have not cooperated with police, leaving them with no decent description of the suspect. Fal also said one witness heard loud talking before the shooting, but does not know much else.
"Our main problem is that no one stuck around," said Fal.
The shooting comes after a March incident outside the bar, Cousin's, on Grand Avenue, in which a man was shot in the leg after a brawl spilled outside the nightclub.
"Our uniformed section has heard complaints," Fal said of past incidents happening at or near the parking lot, adding that while the area is regularly patrolled, last week's shooting would lead to increased patrols of the lot.
Fal urged people with any information on the incident to call the First Precinct or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.
