Bullets Fly in the Mastics

File Photo

The area was rocked last week by three shootings, one at the Poospatuck Reservation in Mastic, where a North Bellport man was killed, and another in Mastic Beach, where a man was seriously wounded after being involved in a fight on Neighborhood Road. A home and vehicle were also shot up on Coventry Avenue in Mastic.

Suffolk Police were called to Poospatuck Lane and found Umar Elquhir, 45, suffering from multiple gunshots. He was pronounced dead after being transported to Long Island Community Hospital in Patchogue. Investigators have yet to identify the shooter or a motive for the killing. The victim has a history in Suffolk, being one of two people charged with murder in connection with the 2020 fatal shooting of Earle Foster, 52, in East Patchogue. He was reportedly acquitted in February.

In the second incident, a man was shot after getting into a fight at the Track gas station, where a gun was fired into the sidewalk, according to police. He was followed to a Commack Road home and was shot in the torso. The unidentified 38-year-old was taken to Long Island Community Hospital, where he was treated for serious injuries.

Just hours after the Poospatuck incident, the property on nearby Coventry Avenue was targeted. Anyone with information on the three cases is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.

Brookhaven Supervisor Edward Romaine, elected last week as county executive, expressed concern over the shootings and said he will be meeting with Suffolk Police officials, as well as town-Supervisor Elect Daniel Panico and Legislator James Mazzarella, to advance his plans to combat crime in the area.