Firefighter recovering after shooting
A volunteer EMT and firefighter who was shot Tuesday night as he responded to a single-vehicle accident in Bellmore is in satisfactory, stable condition, a hospital spokeswoman said Wednesday morning.
The EMT was shot and wounded by the occupant of the vehicle involved in the accident. That man was then shot to death by Nassau police, authorities said.
The EMT is Justin Angell, Bellmore Fire Chief of Department Robert Taylor said Wednesday.
The EMT was taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow.
Angell, 20, of North Bellmore, wrote on Facebook Wednesday morning, "im still in icu but I feel ok just got up and walked a bit."
The victim was shot at least once in the upper torso, police said Tuesday.
He was among several volunteers responding to a call at about 10 p.m. after the vehicle crashed into a utility pole on Bellmore Avenue near Claxton Avenue, police said.
It was not clear why the man opened fire as the EMTs approached to help the accident victim.
Fredih Vuckovic, 41, a respiratory therapist who lives a few houses from the shooting scene, said he was afraid for his family during the shooting.
"We were scared that there was a gunman, that he would be hiding in our backyard," he said.
He said he heard shots as he lay in bed, then heard voices yelling for people to get down.
"I heard like five shots and then I saw the firetruck," said Vuckovic, who lives with his wife and two daughters, ages 2 and 11 months.
Vuckovic said he then heard a second round of shots. "I guess that was the cops shooting at him," he said. "I was going to bed and then I started ducking under the sheets."
When told what happened Tuesday night, neighbors walking children to bus stops reacted with shock and surprise.
Police said they recovered multiple weapons inside the vehicle. The occupant, who was pronounced dead at the scene, remained inside the vehicle early Wednesday as investigator closed off surrounding streets and continued to gather evidence.
A utility pole at the scene remained a mangled mess Wednesday. Several homes in the area remained without electricity, and a police officer at the scene said LIPA was working to restore power to the residences.
Escorted by a Fifth Precinct detective in an unmarked car, two family members carrying luggage returned to Angell's home about 10:45 a.m. They declined to speak to a reporter.
Posted Wednesday, March 2, 2011
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