A Suffolk County police officer fatally shot a 21-year-old suspect who allegedly carjacked a vehicle with two children inside in Bay Shore after shoplifting from a nearby Best Buy store on Sunday evening, authorities said.
The officer responded to a report of a larceny from the store on West Sunrise Highway, where a witness pointed out that the suspect, Denzel Brown, of Amityville, was hiding outside the store at 7:46 p.m., police said. When the officer approached, Brown allegedly fled and the officer chased him on foot, police said. The officer used a Taser on him, but it was “ineffective,” police said.
“As Brown was running away, he attempted to open the doors of both moving and parked vehicles that were in the parking lot and along Nevada Avenue,” police said in a news release. “He then attempted to steal a running car from a couple while two children, ages 4 and 6, were sitting in the back seat. The couple was screaming at Brown to stop as the officer caught up with him and ordered him out of the vehicle.”
Brown started driving away when the officer fired one shot at him, opened the car door and tried to remove Brown from the vehicle, police said. A struggle ensued and the officer used the Taser again, but it was still not effective, police said. The officer fired a second gunshot before additional officers arrived and took Brown into custody, police said.
Brown was taken to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, where he died during surgery.
The incident is similar to one in which a Lake Success village police officer shot and wounded a cell phone store robbery suspect who authorities said was carjacking a victim while making his getaway three weeks ago, Nassau police have said. That suspect survived.
Homicide Squad detectives are continuing the investigation and ask anyone with information about this incident to call them at 631-852-6392 or call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.
