A Calverton man was sentenced to 14 years in prison for his role in a shooting at a candlelight vigil and attacking a corrections officer.
Steven Reid, 27, of Calverton, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty. Reid opened fire at a candlelight vigil in Bellport in July 2023, and committed an unprovoked attack on a corrections officer in December 2023, while he was in custody.
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. At the end of the candlelight vigil, Steven Reid became involved in a physical altercation with another man who attended the vigil. During the altercation, Reid pulled out a gun and shot the man at point-blank range in the upper right thigh. The bullet shattered the man’s femur, passed through his leg, and lodged into his right shin. 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.
Minutes later, Reid followed the dispersed crowd and opened fire on another group of vigil attendees and shot at one man from close range. That victim suffered four gunshot wounds, including gunshot wounds to his back, shoulder, and both of his legs. 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 towards a nearby residence.
Reid fled Suffolk County and was apprehended in North Carolina. In September 2023, Reid was brought back to Suffolk County to face charges. On December 19, 2023, while in custody at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility, Reid assaulted a corrections officer without provocation.
On April 19, 2024, Reid pleaded guilty before Supreme Court Judge Anthony Senft to the following charges:
- second-degree attempted murder, a Class B violent felony
- first-degree assault, a Class B violent felony
- second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a Class C violent felony
- second-degree assault, a Class D violent felony
“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 Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “My office will continue to pursue justice relentlessly to ensure the safety and security of our community.”
Reid was sentenced to 14 years in prison, and five years of post-release supervision.