A brazen, broad daylight shooting at a Long Island, NY IHOP left one man hospitalized and Suffolk County Police have reason to believe that the shooting was directly linked to an ongoing gang dispute.
According to police, two groups of Bloods gang members confronted each other inside of the Ronkonkoma IHOP when one member of a seated group stood up, pulled out a weapon and fired multiple shots at the victim, but hit him once in the chest. He was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital in a private vehicle and went into surgery.
The shooter fled the scene but was apprehended around the corner from the IHOP. The victim was hospitalized for a gunshot wound.
There were at least 20 people inside the IHOP, including a family with a child sitting in a high chair that was direct across from the table where the gunfire erupted. Visibly shaken patrons were escorted out of the building.
Less than two hours after the IHOP shooting, two more men were shot in nearby Gordon Heights. Police say that those shootings also involved Bloods gang members and very well could’ve been related to the IHOP shooting.
