Republican candidate for New York governor, and current NY congressman Lee Zeldin says his family is safe after two strangers were shot outside his Long Island home on Sunday.
In a statement released by his office, Zeldin said that he does not know the identities of the two people who were shot, but that they were found under his porch and in the bushes in front of his home in Shirley, New York. The congressman and his wife were returning from a parade in the Bronx when the shooting occurred, but their teenage daughters were home and heard gunshots and screaming. Zeldin said his 16-year-old daughters locked themselves in a bathroom and called 911.
The two people who were shot were taken to local hospitals, and Zeldin said police officers were at his home investigating Sunday evening and looking over the home’s security cameras.
Said Zeldin:
“My daughters are shaken, but ok. 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 issued a brief statement saying it was investigating the shooting, and a police spokeswoman said she had no information to release about who fired the shots or who first found the two people shot.
Zeldin is running against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who said she was briefed on the shooting.
Hochul tweeted:
“I’ve been briefed on the shooting outside of Congressman Zeldin’s home. As we await more details, I’m relieved to hear the Zeldin family is safe and grateful for law enforcement’s quick response.”
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