A 40-year-old man was shot while boarding a Long Island Rail Road train in Bellport early Friday morning, October 9, prompting a police investigation and temporary suspension of service along the Montauk Branch.
According to MTA Police, the victim was waiting with a bicycle to board an eastbound train at the Bellport station at approximately 2:25 a.m. when four people exited the arriving train. One member of the group turned toward passengers boarding the train and fired a gun, striking the victim in his right shoulder.
ABC7 reported that words were exchanged between the victim and the group before the shooting. The four suspects, described as apparently young men wearing hoodies, fled the station following the gunfire.
Despite being wounded, the victim remained aboard the train and continued to the next stop at Mastic-Shirley, where MTA Police officers met the train after receiving reports of an injured passenger.
The man was treated at the station before being transported to NYU Langone Hospital – Suffolk in Patchogue. Police said his injuries were not life-threatening, and he was subsequently released from the hospital.
MTA Police established investigative scenes at both the Bellport and Mastic-Shirley stations. Investigators were observed examining the tracks and platform at Mastic-Shirley.
The shooting disrupted Friday morning train service on the LIRR’s Montauk Branch. Service between Patchogue and Speonk was temporarily suspended while investigators examined the scene, with delays continuing after trains resumed operating. CBS New York reported that service resumed at approximately 5:14 a.m.
MTA Police are leading the investigation and are working with Suffolk County Police to locate the suspects.
No arrests have been announced, and authorities have not publicly identified the victim or established a motive for the shooting.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the MTA Police Department’s confidential tipline at 718-361-2212.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Photo:Adam Moss, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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