Gunfire leads to lockdown at Roosevelt Field, police say
Nassau police Wednesday outside the Nordstrom at Roosevelt Field in Garden City after two male suspects opened fire on a man and woman, authorities said. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Roosevelt Field went on lockdown Wednesday night when two men exiting Nordstrom shot at a man and woman also leaving the store, according to Nassau County police.
No one was struck or injured in the shooting, which sent Nordstrom and other stores in the Garden City mall into immediate lockdown, Commissioner Patrick Ryder said at a Wednesday night news conference at the mall.
Police were searching for the suspects, who drove off after shots were fired, Ryder said.
“First of all, the panic alone that’s caused by people now hearing gunfire in a mall," he said. "You start to think active shooter."
A bullet penetrated a door and two shell casings were recovered, Ryder said.
"One or both of the two men fired at the victims, striking the Nordstrom door, shattering the glass," Nassau Det. Michael Bitsko added on Thursday. "The victims fled back into Nordstrom while the two suspects fled through the parking garage."
Nassau police received a 911 call at 6:31 p.m. reporting a shooting in the second floor vestibule of Nordstrom, authorities said. The two suspects engaged in a verbal argument with the man and woman and one or both of the suspects fired three shots, according to police.
Ryder said that the suspects fled in a Mercedes with New Jersey license plates heading south on the Meadowbrook Parkway, but on Friday a police news release gave updated information: the suspects fled in separate sedans.
A heavy police presence was visible at the mall and in the air as helicopters circled overhead Wednesday night.
With Cecilia Dowd
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