A Long Island high school and middle school are on lockdown, after a gunman reportedly opened fire on a football field during an argument with a landscaper. The alleged shooter then barricaded himself inside his home, before eventually surrendering to police. Per the Daily Mail, three gunshots were reported around 9 a.m. local time, from only about 1,000 feet away from Roosevelt Middle School and Roosevelt High School on Long Island. Reportedly, no one was injured.
Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder confirmed that there were other family members inside the home, but that “everyone was taken out of the house safely,” when the suspect surrendered.
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Ryder also confirmed that it was an argument the man was having with the custodial landscaping workers that led to the gunfire.
“He goes into the school grounds and confronts them about some landscaping dispute,” Ryder stated. “And then he pulls out his weapon and fired three rounds into the ground.”
Long Island high school and middle school on lockdown after gunman ‘opens fire on football field’ https://t.co/SpAVDwUpsP pic.twitter.com/mYxRQbwdkv
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) August 27, 2019
The Daily Mail reports that while the man is currently in custody, it does not appear that charges have been filed against him yet.
Following the situation, a message on the schools’ website read, “The High School and Middle School are on lockout due to an incident in the area. Everyone is safe and secure. Please do not approach the surrounding areas. Police have the area secure.”
The frightening situation comes the same month as two tragic shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, took place the same day.
On Aug. 4, a man walked in to an El Paso Walmart, opened fire and killed 20 people. In Dayton, a man opened fire near the Ned Peppers bar in the town’s Oregon District, killing nine.
Following the two shootings, many political figures came forward to comment on the tragic events. United States President Donald Trump was one of those figures, issuing a statement on the Dayton shooting via Twitter.
The FBI, local and state law enforcement are working together in El Paso and in Dayton, Ohio. Information is rapidly being accumulated in Dayton. Much has already be learned in El Paso. Law enforcement was very rapid in both instances. Updates will be given throughout the day,” he wrote, later adding, “God bless the people of El Paso Texas. God bless the people of Dayton, Ohio.”
