SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY - A Long Island father of two was fatally shot in what police described as a targeted attack at a local park on Tuesday, September 29, and a confrontation between the victim's friend and police later prompted a lockdown at the hospital.
The victim, 43-year-old Lonnie Booker, was shot in the chest at Robert Rowley Park in North Bellport around 7:30 p.m., according to a press release from the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD). Booker was rushed to NYU Langone-Suffolk in East Patchogue, where he was pronounced dead, the New York Post reported.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said Booker and the shooter knew each other, and that surveillance footage captured the suspect fleeing the scene in a red sedan.
"It appears that it is a targeted attack, and that the victim and perpetrator knew each other," Catalina said. "There was a dispute at the hospital after the deceased arrived," he added.
Police limited access to the hospital, and NYU Langone Health said it also put temporary restrictions in place.
"Temporary visitor restrictions to the emergency department were implemented last night as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of our staff, patients, and visitors," an NYU Langone Health spokesperson said, according to ABC7NY.
Booker's friend, 37-year-old Emmanuel Mayo, followed the victim to the hospital. There, he allegedly pushed an officer while trying to get inside, then resisted when officers moved to arrest him. Mayo was charged with second-degree harassment and resisting arrest.
"I have seen the video, it is right here and there are people on the video and the victim falling to the ground," Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico said.
People who knew Booker returned to the park the day after the shooting, saying they were horrified to learn of his death. They said he had two children and would be missed.
"My cousin was an outstanding guy, and boom, he shouldn't have died like that," Earl Parker of Bellport said.
The Town of Brookhaven had recently stepped up enforcement at the park. The week before the shooting, seven people were ticketed there for trespassing, and four of them were arrested by Suffolk police on outstanding bench warrants.
Catalina noted that Booker was the first person shot in the Fifth Precinct this year, but stressed that "one homicide victim is too many" and "one shooting victim is too many."
No arrests have been made in Booker's death, and the investigation remains ongoing. Detectives are asking anyone with information to contact the SCPD Homicide Squad.
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