66°
Floyd McNeil, age 26, of Elmont, was sentenced to 25 years behind bars in Nassau County Court on Monday, Dec. 6.
It followed his June 2022 jury conviction on charges of second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault in the shooting of Malachi Blaylock in Hempstead.
Prosecutors said it was just before 7 a.m. on Sept. 15, 2019, when McNeil opened fire on Blaylock in front of the entrance to the Jackson Terrace Apartments, located on Terrace Avenue near Bedell Street.
Blaylock was shot four times in the back with a .45 caliber handgun, investigators said.
After he was struck, Blaylock ran from the scene and McNeil chased him, continuing to fire his gun as the victim ran into the street.
McNeil then fled to a nearby home on Bedell Street, where he left the area in an Uber vehicle, according to prosecutors.
Blaylock was taken to NYU Langone Hospital for treatment of serious injuries and underwent multiple surgeries. The shooting left him with reduced physical function and recurring pain suffered to this day, prosecutors said.
Nassau County Police arrested McNeil more than a week later in Hempstead.
“Floyd McNeil shot Malachi Blaylock multiple times in the back at point-blank range with a high-caliber weapon,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said.
“As Blaylock tried to flee with several gunshot wounds, the defendant gave chase to finish the job. Floyd McNeil, without question, had an intent to kill. He will now spend decades in prison paying for this violent crime.”
In addition to the attempted murder and assault charges, a jury also convicted him of criminal use of a firearm and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
The Nassau County DA’s office said McNeil is also facing second-degree murder charges in the November 2020 shooting death of 21-year-old Taffarie Haugton, which occurred in Freeport at Martin Luther King Jr. Park.
If convicted on the top charge in that case, McNeil could be sentenced to an additional 50 years to life in prison.
A check of state records shows that McNeil has a history of violence, having previously served nearly two years in prison for convictions of robbery and criminal possession of a weapon.
He was released from prison in February 2019, seven months before opening fire on Blaylock.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Massapequa and receive free news updates.
