'Brazen': Man Sentenced After Shooting Into Crowd At LI Vigil: DA

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A Calverton man was sentenced to 14 years in prison Wednesday after shooting at a crowd during a candlelight vigil — and assaulting a corrections officer while in custody, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Steven Reid, 27, was also ordered to undergo five years of post-release supervision, after pleading guilty to attempted murder, assault, and other related charges, for opening fire at a candlelight vigil in Bellport in July 2023, and for his "unprovoked" attack on the corrections officer in December 2023, Tierney said.

According to court documents and admissions during his guilty plea allocution, on July 6, 2023, more than 100 people gathered in Bellport to celebrate the life of a community member who had died in a motorcycle accident days before, the DA said. At the end of the candlelight vigil, Reid became involved in a physical altercation with another man who attended the vigil, Tierney said.

During the altercation, Reid pulled out a gun and shot the man at point-blank range in the upper right thigh, Tierney said. The bullet shattered the man’s femur, passed through his leg, and lodged into his right shin, the DA said.

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, the DA said.

Minutes later, Reid followed the crowd and opened fire on another group of vigil attendees, shooting at one man from close range; suffered four gunshot wounds, including wounds to his back, shoulder, and both of his legs, Tierney said.

Immediately thereafter, 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, the DA said.

Reid fled Suffolk County and was apprehended in North Carolina; in September 2023, Reid was brought back to Suffolk County to face charges, the DA said.

On December 19, 2023, while in custody at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility, Reid assaulted a corrections officer without provocation, Tierney said.

On April 19, Reid pleaded guilty before Supreme Court Justice Anthony Senft to second-degree attempted murder, a violent felony; first-degree assault, a violent felony; second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a violent felony; and second-degree assault, a violent felony; Tierney said.

On May 22, Justice Senft sentenced Reid to 14 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. He was represented by the Legal Aid Society.

"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 Tierney. "My office will continue to pursue justice relentlessly to ensure the safety and security of our community."