Uptick In Gang Violence Has Huntington Station Residents Worried
HUNTINGTON STATION, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- On Long Island, residents, police and community activists worry about a surge in gang violence.
Authorities have cracked down on crime, but now, one town is seeing an uptick.
Jim McGoldrick, of Huntington Station, is fed up.
"What kind of an environment is this for children to grow up in?" he asked CBS2's Jennifer McLogan.
Not far from his family's home, there have been multiple drive-by shootings in recent weeks.
The most egregious happened on Teed Street. Forty shots were fired at one house by three different guns in what police believe was a targeted and gang-related attack.
Occupants of the rental home shouted at CBS2's news crew and released their dog into the yard.
Even their vehicle was punctured by blasts.
There have been seven separate drive-by shootings on six local streets in the past month. Are they all related?
"Whether or not it's a dispute between two gangs or within a specific gang, that's something we are looking into," Suffolk County Police Deputy Chief of Detectives Matthew Lewis said.
Is it retaliation? There were three arrests this week from one incident, and more to come police say.
"We were able to apprehend all three and recover two loaded handguns. That was on 10th Avenue in Huntington Station," Lewis said.
"We need more resources here because it is spreading, it's like a cancer, and it's not fair to the community," McGoldrick said.
"Random acts of violence need always the articulation and coordination of federal, state, county and, of course, our local officials," Huntington Town Supervisor Chad Lupinacci said.
This uptick comes as federal prosecutors announce more than a dozen key members of MS-13, based in El Salvador, will be brought to Long Island to face trial.
RELATED STORY -- Prosecutors Will Seek Death Penalty For Alleged MS-13 Gang Member Jairo Saenz In Murders Of 2 Long Island Teens
The crimes the gang is responsible for, say cops, include the 2016 murders of teens Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens, students at Brentwood High, and the slaughtering of four young men at a Central Islip park the next year, leading to enormous public outcry.
"It was getting better for a long time there, and we seem to be going backwards," McGoldrick said.
The social media group Huntington Matters says, "The increase in drive-by shootings is absolutely concerning to our community. As a neighborhood watch, we encourage residents report to police any suspicious activity they see or find on their home surveillance cameras."
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