A Bay Shore man has been indicted for allegedly murdering his ex-coworker and for allegedly firing upon multiple Suffolk County police officers during a violent armed standoff at his residence. One officer was struck in the face during the event.
On July 23, Nieves Reyes allegedly fatally attacked 66-year-old Eugene Allen, his former coworker at the Suffolk Transportation Company, during a targeted ambush on New York Avenue in Bay Shore.
Surveillance footage allegedly shows Reyes chasing the victim with a machete, approximately two hours before his body was discovered in a wooded area, hidden under brush. Reyes was nearly decapitated and had numerous defensive wounds.
During the early morning hours of July 24, members of the Suffolk County Police Department arrived at Reyes’ home to execute a search warrant. At about 2:20 a.m., Reyes allegedly fired five shots from a shotgun as officers tried to breach the doorway. It was at this point that a buckshot struck a patrol officer in the face, fracturing his cheekbone.
Minutes later, after officers had retreated for cover, Reyes allegedly fired one shot at an emergency services officer caught in the open. At approximately 5:45 a.m., when officers tried once more to get inside the location, Reyes allegedly again opened fire, shooting seven additional rounds at them. The standoff ended only after the intervention of trained hostage negotiators.
On August 1, Reyes was arraigned on the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Justice Anthony S. Senft, Jr., for Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A felony, three counts of Attempted Murder in the First Degree, Class A felonies, and Criminal Use of a Firearm in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony.
Senft ordered Reyes remanded during the pendency of the case. Reyes is due back in court on September 3 and faces 40 years to life in prison if convicted of Attempted Murder in the First Degree, and 25 years to life if convicted of Murder in the Second Degree.
“Attacks on Suffolk’s law enforcement officers will be met with the law’s most serious consequences. The defendant allegedly committed a heinous act of violence that claimed a life, and then allegedly opened fire on the brave officers who were doing their duty to serve our community,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “This is a stark reminder of the dangers that our men and women in law enforcement face every single day. We will vigorously pursue these charges for the victim who lost his life and for the officer who was wounded in the line of duty.”