Two People Shot Outside New York Gov. Candidate Lee Zeldin’s Home While Daughters Hide Inside

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Two people were shot outside the Long Island home of Lee Zeldin, the Republican nominee in the race for governor of New York, on Sunday afternoon.

Suffolk County Police confirmed to Mediaite that detectives are investigating a shooting that wounded two people outside Zeldin’s home in Shirley around 2:20 p.m. Sunday. They were transported to local hospitals, police said.

Zeldin, a former congressman representing Long Island, said in a statement his 16-year-old daughters were inside doing homework when shots rang out. At the time, Zeldin and his wife Diana were driving home from the Bronx Columbus Day Parade at Morris Park.

“After my daughters heard the gunshots and the screaming, they ran upstairs, locked themselves in the bathroom and immediately called 911,” Zeldin said. “They acted very swiftly and smartly every step of the way and Diana and I are extremely proud of them.”

The gubernatorial hopeful, who said he did not know the identities of the two men, said they were “laying down under my front porch and the bushes in front of our porch.”

A law enforcement source told the New York Post that despite occurring outside his home, the shooting did not have anything to do with Zeldin.

This isn’t the first time this campaign that Zeldin has had to speak out about violence. A man tried to stab Zeldin with a pointed object at a campaign event in July.

He has made crime a centerpiece of his campaign to unseat incumbent Kathy Hochul, a Democrat.

“My daughters are shaken, but OK. Like so many New Yorkers, crime has literally made its way to our front door,” he said in his statement. “My family is grateful to all who have reached out and we will provide another update when we can.”

Update 10/10/22: Suffolk County Police provided more information on the shooting in a new statement:

Suffolk County Police Seventh Squad detectives are investigating a shooting that injured two teenagers
in Shirley this afternoon.

Three teenagers were walking on Saint George Drive West when a dark-colored vehicle went by and an occupant fired multiple gunshots through the vehicle’s window at 2:19 p.m. Two 17-year-old males were struck and attempted to hide in the yard of a residence on the street. The third teen fled the scene on foot.

The two 17-year-olds, who are from Mastic and Mastic Beach, were transported to an area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

At this time investigators have no reason to believe there is any connection between the shooting and the residence on Saint George Drive West.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact Seventh Squad Detectives at 631-852-8752 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will remain confidential.

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