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Lawrence Brown Jr., of Riverhead, was formally charged with criminal possession of a weapon and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Monday, Sept. 9.
According to prosecutors, Brown drove from Riverhead to Hampton Bays shortly before midnight on Saturday, July 7. He then fired five shots into the home of someone he’d been fighting with for days, investigators said.
The residents were asleep when the shots rang out and told police they initially thought the sounds were fireworks. They discovered several bullet holes in the home’s exterior the following morning.
Nobody inside the home was injured.
Southampton Town Police detectives recovered multiple expended 9mm caliber shell casings from the street in front of the residence.
Brown was arrested Thursday, Aug. 22, following a multi-agency search of his Riverhead home. During the search, investigators reportedly located a 9mm caliber handgun in his bedroom.
“This arrest is an excellent example of the work that can be achieved when law enforcement agencies work together,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
“I commend the joint investigation conducted by the Town of Southampton Police Department, Riverhead Police Department, with our East End Drug Task Force along with our Gang Task Force. We look forward to holding this defendant accountable in court.”
Brown is charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment, and criminal possession of a firearm, all felonies.
He was held on a $500,000 bond. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
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