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Police: Man Shot While Answering Door In Dix Hills

DIX HILLS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A man is fighting for his life after being shot while answering the door of a home on Long Island.

As WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported, authorities said the man was shot in the chest around 9:15 p.m. Friday at a home on Melrose Road in Dix Hills. A bullet hole could be seen through the glass in the front door.

Richard Schmoll, who owns the home where the shooting happened, told 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera that he and a friend went to open the door when they were met by gunfire.

"Very scary. I mean, I was standing right behind him. The bullet went, I thought between us, but I guess it hit him," Schmoll said.

The victim, who police identified as 27-year-old Louis Speaight from Virginia, was rushed to a hospital and is listed in critical condition.

"It is very scary, so we have the alarms on. I don't want a fugitive sleeping in my backyard. So yea, in this neighborhood we never hear something like that, so it was very scary," one neighbor said.

The gunman is still on the loose. Police are looking into whether the home was targeted, and if so, why.

Detectives are asking anyone with information on this incident to call the Second Squad at 631-854-8252 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.

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