Gunfire Puts Centerport On Alert

By Andrew Wroblewski

awroblewski@longislandergroup.com

A bullet put the Centerport community on alert early Wednesday.

Suffolk County police said a Centerport man was standing outside of his home on McKinley Terrace at approximately 8:45 a.m. The man – whose name was not released – was approached by a group of men he did not recognize. An “altercation” followed, and one of the men fired a single shot that struck a nearby unoccupied vehicle, police said.

The group of men fled the scene, and a police investigation continues.

Although details of the shooting remained scarce through the morning, buildings close to the incident played things safe.

Beth Izzo, spokeswoman for the Harborfields School District, said that, while a “true” district-wide lockdown wasn’t established, efforts were taken to secure all Harborfields’ buildings.

“It would have been a different situation if this was during the school year,” she said.

One building, though, did have children inside.

Washington Drive Primary School, which at the time hosted a “town camp” according to Huntington spokesman A.J. Carter, was put on lockdown as police set up a perimeter and searched for the perpetrators.

Once the town received word from the Second Precinct that the perpetrators had left the area, the lockdown was lifted and the camp resumed normal operations – although a few parents did pick up their children after learning of the incident, Izzo said.

Other Centerport venues were also disrupted.

The Huntington Beach Community Association (HBCA), a local community group that cares for the beach, hosts a day camp for kids entering grades K-7. The association, located on Adams Street just off of McKinley Terrace, canceled camp on Wednesday when news of the incident came in. The HBCA reopened for normal operations after the scene was cleared.

On the other side of Centerport Harbor, an employee at Camp Alvernia – a Prospect Road summer day camp for boys and girls – said the camp was informed of the shooting by police, but was not ordered to close and instead continued normal operations.

Blondie’s Bake Shop, located north of the primary school on Washington Drive, also received word of the police activity – but wasn’t ordered to close.

“I’ve heard a lot… No one ever came here to tell me to lock up and be concerned,” Jess Kennaugh, owner of the shop, said.

As of press time on Wednesday, detectives were still investigating the incident and no arrests had been made. A description of the suspects was not available and police couldn’t confirm whether there were any reported injuries.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will remain confidential.