News: Another Long Island Pharmacy Targeted
(Long Island, N.Y.) Outside the pharmacy where four people were shot and killed during the Medford tragedy a hand written sign was posted expressing hatred for the suspects responsible. Reports stated that the sign was removed because the area had been designated for mourning. In a separate incident, a CVS Pharmacy was robbed on Horseblock Road in Farmingville just a week after the Medford shooting.
Sunday’s incident occurred fifteen minutes past noon and involved a note demanding prescription drugs and cash. The suspect handed the written threat to the pharmacy employee before fleeing on foot. The suspect had previously asked about the availability of a certain prescription substance. Both the suspect and the item remain unidentified.
The incident is being examined by members of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Sixth Squad Detectives and investigators are looking into all possible leads. Reports stated that the suspect had left the store after interacting with the employees and had returned shortly after. The disgruntled pharmacy workers complied with the suspect’s request after reading the threat. According to sources, CVS Pharmacy has a policy of automatic compliance with any demands made by a potential robber.
Similar to the suspect in the Medford shooting, the man responsible for Sunday’s robbery is Caucasian with a thin build. The man is believed to be in his early twenties and is an estimated five-feet-and-eight-inches tall. He was seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt with a white and red baseball hat and dark colored pants. Police involved in the case are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers and urge the public to keep in mind that all tips will remain anonymous.
The CVS Pharmacy is located next to a TD bank which was robbed last week in a separate incident. It is also located across from a Stop and Shop and not far from North Ocean Ave. The aspects of the crime and the similar circumstances in the recent string of pharmacy thefts have led many followers of the case to question the need of heightened security. Many suggest that pharmacies need the security measures applied to banks and other public facilities.
Reports stated that the thirty-three-year-old suspect in the Medford shooting has been implicated in the crime by a fingerprint match. According to reports, the suspect’s fingerprint was found on a piece of paper that was attached to the pharmacy’s counter and allegedly advised to not be on cellphones in the area. The suspect’s lawyer has claimed that he had visited the pharmacy frequently, prior to the shooting, suggesting that the discovery could have been a result of a separate visit to Haven Drugs. The defense claimed that fingerprints last forever unless they are wiped away and that the surveillance video depicted a man who looks nothing like the suspect.
This is the first time arrest for the thirty-three-year-old suspect, and his defense attorney has stated that he is scared and overwhelmed. Reports claimed that he has been put on a suicide watch and that a complete scope of information in the case has not been given to the defense. The suspect’s twenty-nine-year- old wife has not been indicted but her next court date is scheduled for July 15.
This incident has gotten many Long Islanders considering other notable crimes throughout the years. Some have claimed that the last massive shooting occurred in 1993 when six people were killed on the Long Island Rail Road.
