Calverton Man Admits Shooting Man at Vigil

A Calverton man has admitted to opening fire on a crowd at a candlelight vigil last year and then assaulting a corrections officer at Suffolk County jail in Riverside.

Steven Reid pleaded guilty on April 19 at Suffolk court to charges of second-degree attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon and assault.

“This defendant viciously opened fire on an unsuspecting community gathered to mourn the loss of a loved one,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney. “The defendant then continued his violent behavior while in custody, assaulting an unsuspecting corrections officer just trying to do his job.”

Prosecutors said the 27-year-old defendant pulled out a gun and shot the man at point-blank range in the upper right thigh on July 6, 2023 when he got into an altercation while more than 100 people gathered in Bellport to celebrate the life of a community member who had died in a motorcycle crash days before. The victim was rushed to a local hospital for treatment.

Minutes later Reid opened fire on another group of vigil attendees, shooting another man in his back, shoulder, and both of his legs. He then shot a woman two times and then shot at another group of people, including a woman and a 9-year old boy, as they were running away to a nearby residence.

He fled Long Island but was apprehended in North Carolina two months later. And on December 19, 2023, while in custody at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility, Reid assaulted a 26-year-old Corrections Officer by hitting the officer several times without provocation.

Judge Anthony Senft is expected to sentence Reid on May 22 to 14 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.