By:Nicole Falco
It began as a sting operation. According to detectives, a confidential informant told police that drugs and a stolen gun were going to be sold last Thursday at 7 p.m. in front of the school. The gun was believed to be one of three that had been stolen in July from the North Valley Stream home of a retired New York City cop.
As undercover officers and members of the Bureau of Special Operations waited at the school for the suspects to pull up in a white Chevrolet Cavalier, they heard a radio call reporting shots fired on Mill Road. The vehicle that left the scene of the shooting was described as a white Cavalier, police said. As scheduled, four suspects pulled up to the school at 7 p.m. in a car of identical description, police said.
Officers arrested the four individuals: Wallace Cain, 20, of 62 Fieldmere St., Elmont; Shawn Smith, 18, of 79 Warwick Road, Elmont; Randolph Brown, 19, of 27 Birchwood Drive, Valley Stream; and Mario Bellevue, 18, of 15 Birchwood Drive, Valley Stream. Police recovered a 9 mm weapon and three-fourths of a pound of marijuana at the scene.
After further investigation, police believe that the weapon recovered at the school was the same one used in the shooting earlier that evening. According to police, the suspects had allegedly stolen marijuana from Matt Hofmann, 20, of 1765 Carroll Ave., Merrick, and Hofmann was shot once in the stomach and once in the leg before the suspects fled the scene. Detective Sgt. John Roden, of the Fifth Precinct, declined to identify the suspect who police believe pulled the trigger.
Hofmann was transported to Winthrop-University Hospital. His injuries are non-life-threatening, police said. Hofmann was charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance and given an appearance ticket to appear in court at a later date.
Cain, Smith, Brown and Bellevue were each charged with attempted murder, criminal use and sale of a firearm, criminal possession and sale of a controlled substance and conspiracy.
As a result of further investigation, at about 2 a.m. that same night, police arrested a fifth suspect, Raashan Robinson, 18, of 18 Molyneaux Road, Valley Stream. Bureau of Special Operations officers Glen Walker and Edward Alonge and Fifth Precinct officer Anthony Raymond made the arrest after a brief foot pursuit and scuffle that left the three officers injured. A revolver, believed to be another of the three guns stolen in July, was recovered. Robinson is charged with possession of stolen property and second-degree assault.
Police said the third stolen weapon, another revolver, was also recovered that night. Roden gave no details on the circumstances surrounding the recovery of the third weapon.
Comments about this story? NFalco@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 Ext. 208.
