First, he stood accused of opening fire at innocent people attending a candlelight vigil in Bellport in July of last year.
Once behind bars awaiting trial for that crime, 27-year-old Steven Reid was accused of launching an unprovoked attack against a corrections officer while in prison.
For both of those crimes, Reid was sentenced to 14 years in jail, followed by five years of post-release supervision, announced Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.
“This defendant’s brazen actions at a candlelight vigil followed by his violent attack on a corrections officer show a blatant disregard for the safety of others and the rule of law,” said District Attorney Tierney. “My office will continue to pursue justice relentlessly to ensure the
safety and security of our community.”
It was July of 2023 when more than 100 people gathered in Bellport to celebrate the life of a community member who had died in a motorcycle accident days before.
At the end of the candlelight vigil, police and prosecutors said Reid became involved in a physical altercation with another man who attended the vigil. During that fight, Reid was accused of pulling out a gun and shooting the man at point-blank range in the upper right thigh. The bullet shattered the man’s femur, passed through his leg, and lodged into his right shin.
Vigil attendees placed a tourniquet on the man’s leg and rushed him to the hospital where he underwent emergency orthopedic surgery to replace his shattered femur with metal rods and pins.
Minutes later, prosecutors stated Reid followed the crowd and opened fire on another group of vigil attendees and shot at one man from close range. That victim suffered four gunshot wounds, including gunshot wounds to his back, shoulder, and both of his legs.
Right after that, police said Reid opened fire at a female two times and then shot at another group of people, including a woman and a nine-year-old boy, as they were running toward a nearby residence.
Reid fled Suffolk County and was eventually apprehended in North Carolina. In September 2023, Reid was brought back to Suffolk County to face charges.
On December 19th, 2023, while in custody at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility, law enforcement said Reid assaulted a corrections officer without provocation.
Reid pleaded guilty before Supreme Court Justice Anthony Senft to:
Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, a Class B violent felony;
Assault in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony;
Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a Class C violent felony;
Assault in the Second Degree, a Class D violent felony.
This case was prosecuted by the Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Detective Wilson Nieves of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Fifth Squad, United States Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Task Force, and the Warrant Enforcement Section and Computer Crimes Unit of the Suffolk County Police Department.