NEWSDAY

Freeport officers shoot man they say wielded gun.

From:

Newsday (Melville, NY)

Date:

July 15, 2007

Byline: Collin Nash

Jul. 15--A man who allegedly aimed a gun at two Freeport police officers was in serious but stable condition yesterday after they shot him six times, Nassau police said.

The two police officers together fired nine rounds at the suspect and were not fired on during the 1 a.m. incident. The shooting took place on Leonard Avenue just east of Main Street in Freeport, said Det. Lt. Michael Fleming of the Nassau Police Department at a Mineola news conference.

Fleming declined to identify the two police officers, one of whom has been on the Freeport police force for two years and the other for 10 years.

The suspect, FrantzByer of 98 Harris Ave., Freeport, was shot from about 15 feet away and was wounded in the torso and left thigh, Fleming said. He remains in a local hospital under guard, Fleming said. Byer is charged with assault and weapons possession. Police say he is a suspected gang member but didn't elaborate.

A second suspect, whom allegedly accompanied Byer, was arrested after he tried to tackle police just after the shooting, police said. Nassau police did not release his name or specify the charges against him.

"The officers were forced into the situation and performed in a manner dictated by their training," Fleming said. "We have proof the suspect's weapon was out and pointed at the officers because one bullet struck his gun," he said.

The fully loaded, six-shot revolver Byer allegedly carried was recovered at the scene, Fleming said.

The two uniformed police officers went to the scene after a 911 call reported a man, accompanied by a second individual, carrying a gun in a black pouch, Fleming said.

After arriving at the Leonard Avenue location, the officers saw two men heading east on foot, one of them matching the description from the 911 call.

When the officers ordered the men to stop, Byer turned and pointed a revolver at them, Fleming said.

An internal review to determine whether the officers acted properly is still in the early stages, he said.

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Copyright (c) 2007, Newsday, Melville, N.Y.