A Long Island father of two was fatally shot in a targeted attack at a park — as a hospital was forced into a lockdown when a fight broke out between the victim’s friend and police.
Lonnie Booker, 43, was shot in the chest at Robert Rowley Park in North Bellport around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Suffolk County Police Department said.
Booker was rushed to NYU Langone-Suffolk in East Patchogue, three miles away from the shooting, where he was pronounced dead.
Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said that Booker and his killer knew each other and that surveillance cameras captured the suspect fleeing the scene in a red sedan.
“It appears that it is a targeted attack, and that the victim and perpetrator knew each other,” Catalina told ABC7NY.
No arrests have been made. Detectives are asking anyone with information to contact the Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Squad.
Soon after the shooting, the violence followed Booker to the hospital.
Police said that Booker’s friend, Emmanuel Mayo, followed the victim to the hospital where he got into a confrontation with an officer, according to Greater Long Island.
Mayo, 37, allegedly pushed an officer while trying to get into the hospital, then resisted when officers moved to arrest him. Police and hospital staff then barred visitors from the building until order was restored.
Mayo was charged with second-degree harassment and resisting arrest.
Following the shooting, a memorial was set up for Booker at the park, as his friends and family gathered to mourn their loss.
“My cousin was an outstanding guy, and boom, he shouldn’t have died like that,” Earl Parker told ABC7NY.
The shooting has raised concerns about the park’s safety.
Exactly one week before the shooting, police took seven people into custody for trespassing at the park after dark — four on outstanding warrants and three who were issued field appearance tickets, Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico told Newsday.
Panico said the town has invested heavily in the park, including adding security cameras after neighbors complained about people loitering there after hours.
Catalina noted that Booker was the first person shot in the Fifth Precinct this year — but stressed that “one homicide victim is one too many” and “one shooting victim is one too many.”
Police said the investigation into Tuesday’s shooting is ongoing.
