Featured Story

Update: Man who fired gun at hospital held on $35K bail

11680186

(Sunday 12:30 p.m.) The suspect arrested for an alleged shooting outside Southside Hospital in Bay Shore pleaded not guilty Sunday to first-degree reckless endangerment in Suffolk County District Court in Central Islip. Bail for John Gamble was set at $35,000 cash or $70,000 bond.

He is due back in court Dec. 1.

Mr. Gamble was represented by attorney Keith O’Halloran of Westhampton, who ackonwledged in court Mr. Gamble has prior convictions but said none of them were violent. He said Mr. Gamble has maintained the same job for 10 years and posed no flight risk.

Proescutors had requested $100,000 bail.

Few details emergedat the arraignment on the incident, only that the alleged shooting occured in the parking lot and no injuries occurred.

Mr. O’Halloran said outside court he was still gathering information on the case and did have any further information to provide.

-JOE WERKMEISTER

(Saturday 7 p.m.) The downtown Riverhead shooting victim has been identified.

Charles Gamble, 35, of East Quogue was shot twice Saturday around 3:15 a.m. near the intersection of East Main Street and Roanoke Avenue, Riverhead police said.

He’s currently listed in stable condition at Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, police said.

His twin brother, John Gamble of Riverhead, was charged with firing multiple rounds from a 9mm handgun in the hospital’s parking lot around 5:50 a.m. Saturday, police said.

“He was very upset about his twin brother,” Riverhead Police Det. Dixon Palmer said in an interview, describing Mr. Gamble’s actions as “blowing off steam.”

Anyone with information about Saturday’s shooting in Riverhead is asked to contact the Riverhead Town Police Department at 631-727-4500 ext. 328.

Photo: John Gamble. (Credit: Suffolk police)

Photo credit: northwell.edu
Photo credit: northwell.edu

(Saturday 4 p.m.) A Riverhead man was arrested Saturday following a reported shooting outside Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, according to a Suffolk police press release.

John Gamble, 35, was arrested after firing multiple rounds from a 9mm handgun around 5:50 a.m. Saturday, police said. He was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, officials said.

It’s unclear if Mr. Gamble was involved with a separate shooting that took place in downtown Riverhead around 3:15 a.m. Saturday.

Mr. Gamble isn’t currently under investigation for that incident by Riverehead police, officials said. One man was seriously injured in that shooting and the victim was taken to Southside Hospital shortly before Mr. Gamble allegedly opened fire in the hospital’s parking lot, police said.

No other information was immediately available.

Original story:

Outside Suffolk County Community College Culinary Arts Center on Saturday afternoon. (Credit: Jen Nuzzo)
Outside Suffolk County Community College Culinary Arts Center on Saturday afternoon. (Credit: Jen Nuzzo)

A man was shot Saturday morning in downtown Riverhead and the hospital he was taken to was briefly on lockdown during a shooting in the parking lot, authorities have confirmed.

The first incident took place around 3:15 a.m. near Suffolk County Community College Culinary Arts Center following an event both the shooter and victim attended at the Suffolk Theater, Riverhead Police Det. Sgt. Edward Frost said.

“The two males were known to each other,” he said. “This wasn’t a random act.”

The theater hosted a hip-hop music event with “Mister Cee” Friday night, according to its Facebook page.

Reached by telephone Saturday morning, Suffolk Theater owner Bob Castaldi distanced the theater from the shooting incident saying only that he knew an “incident took place on Main Street near Roanoke Avenue.”

The shooting suspect is described as a black male in his 30s, Mr. Frost said, adding no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

He described the victim’s injuries as “serious” and said he was first taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center and later transferred to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, both Northwell Health facilities.

Suffolk police officials confirmed a shooting took place at Southside Hospital’s parking lot Saturday around 5:50 a.m. No injuries were reported and no arrests have been made.

Northwell Health spokesman Jason Molinet confirmed the hospital was on lockdown Saturday until 8 a.m.

[email protected]