UPDATE: Firefighter shot on Long Island at Bellmore crash scene. Police in Nassau County shoot & kill gunman.
Firefighter Close Calls
Bellmore FD
A firefighter was shot in the back Tuesday night on Long Island while responding aboard an ambulance to a vehicle collision. It happened around 10:00 PM on Bellmore Avenue at Claxton Avenue in Bellmore. Police returned fire striking and killing the gunman. The firefighter is reported to have non-life threatening injuries.
Nassau County Police said officers were forced to shoot down and kill the assailant, who began firing at Bellmore firefighters after he crashed his Ford pickup into a telephone pole.
Police have not yet identified the shooter. “We don’t know who this individual is,” said Lt. Kevin Smith. The coroner, he said, will identify the man.
Police do not have a motive for the shooter’s attack. Authorities said they found several guns inside his pickup.
A car apparently lost control and struck a light pole. A Bellmore Fire Department ambulance responded, and the firefighter EMT’s approached the vehicle to see if the driver needed help, and he opened fire on them.
Officials say the 20-year-old Bellmore firefighter was transported to Nassau University Medical Center where he underwent surgery Tuesday night. Witnesses say that the shooter fired 15 to 16 shots, striking at least one person.
Once they arrived at the accident scene, the driver who crashed the car into a light pole, began to shoot at first responders, sources told NBCNewYork.com. Nassau Police shot at the driver and struck him at least once, according to sources. As many as ten shots may have been fired during this incident. A first responder was shot and two officers may have suffered injuries unrelated to the shooting.
