Police officer shot in Suffolk is in stable condition, officials say

An alleged Bloods gang member suspected of committing a recent robbery opened fire on a Suffolk County police officer Thursday afternoon, striking him in the upper thigh, Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said at a news conference outside Stony Brook University Hospital, where the officer was recovering.

Police did not immediately identify the officer but said he is the father of a 17-month-old daughter and is engaged to be married.

The officer, a six-year member of the department, was in stable condition, police said.

The suspect, Janell Funderburke, 20, of Coram, was arrested after a 20-minute standoff inside his home, Harrison said.

Funderburke will be charged with the attempted murder of a police officer and a robbery that occurred Tuesday in his neighborhood, he said. It was not clear when the suspect would be arraigned.

"We're here at a hospital under unfortunate circumstances," Harrison said. "One of our police officers was violently attacked. This is just a reminder of how dangerous it is to be a police officer."

Later in the day, police confirmed that Funderburke was one of four people pulled from a burning vehicle by Suffolk police in Deer Park less than a year ago. He was a passenger in a BMW that overturned and burst into flames after the driver fled a traffic stop.

Funderburke, then 19, was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm and two counts of criminal possession of a substance and criminal contempt, police said. 

Before Thursday's shooting, police officers from Suffolk’s Sixth Precinct were conducting surveillance in two marked and two unmarked vehicles outside a home on Norfleet Lane in Coram as part of a robbery investigation, Harrison said.

At 12:50 p.m., Funderburke left the home, saw the police officers and started running east on Norfleet Lane before turning south on Homestead Drive, Harrison said.

A plainclothes officer got out of his vehicle and began pursuing Funderburke, who refused to stop running after the cop identified himself as an officer and demanded Funderburke stop, Harrison said.

Funderburke allegedly fired two rounds at the officer on Homestead Drive, Harrison said, striking him in the right upper thigh. The gun has not been recovered. The officer did not return fire, a police spokeswoman said.

Fellow officers applied two tourniquets to the officer's injuries to stop the bleeding and rushed him to Stony Brook Hospital in a police vehicle, Harrison said.

The officer was awake and speaking with police officials after his arrival in the hospital, Harrison said.

He had surgery and was listed in stable condition last evening, the commissioner said, adding there are concerns about his recovery because of the path of the bullet through his lower body.

"We're very confident that at the end of the day he's going to be OK," Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said. " All of us who aren't in law enforcement go about lives each and every day. And we don't see 99% of the work that is happening out there by police officers or other law enforcement officers. They are literally putting themselves in danger."

Suffolk PBA President Noel DiGerolamo said in a statement: “This is yet another reminder of the risks police officers face every day and the urgency for laws and support that would enable us to best protect the public. The officer remains hospitalized and his brother and sister officers will be there to support him and his family any way we can.”  

Funderburke, who police said is a member of the Bloods street gang, was located at his home on Homestead Drive and surrendered after the standoff, Harrison said.

After the shooting, a large crowd of residents gathered outside as police traversed the area, some armed with long guns.

One resident, Valerie Jonathan, said she was walking nearby when she heard “pop, pop, pop.” The police responded immediately to the scene, she said.

Edna White, president of the nearby Greater Gordon Heights Chamber of Commerce, said she was “very disturbed" by the shooting of a police officer.

“I don’t believe this has ever happened before," White said. "It is just disturbing.”

Alyson Bass, vice president of Greater Gordon Heights Chamber of Commerce, said her initial reaction was shock.

“I don’t think that this is anything that is common to this community at this point in terms of violence," said Bass, adding: "But of course, any time there is gun violence, it’s upsetting."

Longwood School District Superintendent Lance Lohman informed parents that a lockout procedure was put in place at three schools in response to the “police activity.”

No one was allowed on school grounds at Coram and West Middle Island elementary schools and Longwood Middle School until after administrators “receive the all clear” from police, Lohman said in a message sent to district parents. Students weren't allowed outside for recess. The lockout was lifted after police arrested the suspect and processed the scene in the early afternoon.