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Steven Reid, age 27, of Calverton, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Friday, April 19.
Prosecutors said more than 100 people were gathered at a vigil in Bellport on Thursday, July 6, 2023, to honor a community member who had died in a motorcycle crash.
At the end of the vigil, Reid got into a physical fight with another man who attended the event.
At some point, Reid pulled out a gun and shot the man at point-blank range in the upper thigh, prosecutors said. The bullet shattered the victim’s femur, passed through his leg, and lodged into his right shin.
Other attendees came to the victim’s aid, placing a tourniquet on his leg and taking him to the hospital. He underwent surgery to replace his femur with metal rods and pins.
Moments after the shooting, Reid allegedly fired on another group of vigil attendees, shooting one man four times at close range, according to prosecutors.
The second victim suffered gunshot wounds to his back, shoulder, and both legs.
Reid then continued firing, shooting twice at a woman before targeting another group of people, including a woman with a 9-year-old boy, prosecutors allege.
After the attack, Reid fled to North Carolina where he was arrested in September 2023 by members of the US Marshals Service.
In late December 2023, Reid unleashed an unprovoked, premeditated attack on a corrections officers at the Suffolk County jail in Riverhead.
The officer suffered a sprained wrist, cut lip, and a swollen nose. The employee was placed on leave and suffered health complications after the attack, according to sheriff’s officials.
“This defendant viciously opened fire on an unsuspecting community gathered to mourn the loss of a loved one. The defendant then continued his violent behavior while in custody, assaulting an unsuspecting Corrections Officer just trying to do his job," said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
“This conviction sends a message that my office will prosecute gun violence in our community and violence against our law enforcement partners to the fullest extent.”
In court Friday, Reid pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- Attempted murder (felony)
- Two counts of assault (felony)
- Criminal possession of a weapon (felony)
He is expected to get 14 years in prison when he’s sentenced on Wednesday, May 22.
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