The front yard of Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin, who is running for governor of New York, became a crime scene Sunday after a drive-by shooting that took place near his Long Island home.
Zeldin issued a statement on Twitter, in which he said, “Like so many New Yorkers, crime has literally made its way to our front door.”
The incident took place outside Zeldin’s home in Shirley at about 2:20 p.m., according to Fox News.
“My 16-year-old daughters, Mikayla and Arianna, were at our house doing homework, while my wife, Diana, and I were in the car, having just departed the Bronx Columbus Day Parade in Morris Park,” he said in the statement.
Thank you to all who reached out with your concern regarding the 2 people shot this afternoon outside my home. Mikayla and Arianna were at the kitchen table doing homework. One of the bullets landed just 30 feet from them. They acted very swiftly and smartly in response. pic.twitter.com/PMw3u5ic17
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) October 9, 2022
“After my daughters heard the gunshots and the screaming, they ran upstairs, locked themselves in the bathroom and immediately called 911. They acted very swiftly and smartly every step of the way and Diana and I are extremely proud of them.
Zeldin’s statement said he did not know the victims of the shooting.
“The two individuals who were shot were laying down under my front porch and the bushes in front of our porch. My understanding is that they have been transported to area hospitals. I do not know their identities,” he wrote, adding, “Law enforcement is currently at our house. My entire family is at home working with the investigators and providing the security footage from our home cameras.
Do you think crime has gotten out of control?
“My daughters are shaken, but ok,” he wrote. “Like so many New Yorkers, crime has literally made its way to our front door. My family is grateful to all who have reached out and we will provide another update when we can.”
The Suffolk County Police Department said two 17-year-olds from Mastic and Mastic Beach were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, according to The New York Times.
Police said three teenagers were walking along the street when a dark-colored vehicle passed them and someone inside fired multiple gunshots, according to the Times. Two teens were hit.
The two who were hit tried to hide in Zeldin’s yard while the third fled on foot, the Times reported.
Later Sunday, Zeldin – who has made reducing crime the centerpiece of his campaign against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul — called upon state residents not to “surrender any street anywhere” to criminals.
A reporter asked if the moment was a fitting time for politics.
“At what point are we supposed to talk about the crime on our own streets?” Zeldin said, according to the Times. “I’m standing in front of crime scene tape in front of my own house.”
Zeldin, who was himself attacked at a campaign event in July, said Sunday night that his daughters were “freaked out.”
“It hits us close to home when you read stories of other families being impacted by crime, when young, innocent kids have been exposed to crime that they’ll never forget for the rest of their lives,” he said, according to the New York Post.
“Something bold and significant needs to be done to make life in New York safe again. It’s not just a story we read about every few days or weeks. This is happening throughout the day, every day, in New York.
“It hits as close as it gets when it shows up at your front doorstep,” he said.
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