What Happened
According to News 12 Long Island, a man was standing on the platform at Bellport station boarding an eastbound train from Jamaica to Montauk when a group of four people exited the train. One person in that group turned and fired at the people boarding the train and struck the victim in his right shoulder.
News 12 reported that around 2:25 a.m., MTA police received calls about an injured person on the train and met it at the next stop, which was Mastic-Shirley, where officers found the victim with a gunshot wound. The victim was treated there and taken to NYU Langone Hospital – Suffolk in Patchogue, and was subsequently released.
Newsday reported that the victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries and that the search for perpetrators was preliminary and ongoing as of early Friday. News 12 reported that the shooter and other members of the group fled the Bellport station, and that MTA police had active scenes at both Bellport and Mastic-Shirley stations.
Road and Transit Impact
MTA police said service on the Montauk Branch was suspended before the morning rush, with the suspension lifted at 6:13 a.m. News 12 reported that the incident initially suspended service between Speonk and Patchogue, and that trains gradually resumed with delays throughout the morning. Commuters were directed to the MTA website or the TrainTime app for service updates.
What Officials Have Said Next
MTA police said more information about the shooting may be available late Friday morning. Anyone seeking updates on service is directed to the MTA website or the TrainTime app.
What we don’t know yet: no suspects have been identified or arrested, and no motive for the shooting has been established.