Two teens shot outside Rep. Lee Zeldin's Long Island home
NEW YORK - Two teens were shot outside the home of Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin on Sunday afternoon. Zeldin's teenage twin daughters were inside their Shirley home at the time of the shooting.
"My 16-year-old daughters, Mikayla and Arianna, were at our house doing homework, while my wife, Diana, and I were in the car, having just departed the Bronx Columbus Day Parade in Morris Park," Zeldin said in a statement. "After my daughters heard the gunshots and the screaming, they ran upstairs, locked themselves in the bathroom and immediately called 911. They acted very swiftly and smartly every step of the way and Diana and I are extremely proud of them."
Zeldin added the two victims were apparently laying down under his front porch and the bushes in front of his porch.
"May daughters are shaken, but ok," Zeldin said.
The two 17-year-olds, who are from Mastic and Mastic Beach, were transported to an area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, according to Suffolk County Police. They added that there appeared to be no connection between Zeldin and the shooting.
"Like so many New Yorkers, crime has literally made its way to our front door. My family is grateful to all who have reached out and we will provide another update when we can," Zeldin said.
"I'm relieved to hear the Zeldin family is safe and grateful for law enforcement's quick response," said New York Governor Kathy Hochul, in a tweet.
Zeldin is running for governor on a tough-on-crime platform and has excoriated Governor Kathy Hochul over New York's recent bail reform law changes.
He has served as a representative in New York's 1st Congressional District since 2015.
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The shooting is the second scare Lee Zeldin has had this year.
In July, he was attacked at a campaign stop in upstate New York. A man confronted him onstage and thrust a sharp object near his head and neck. Zeldin was not hurt.
43-year-old David Jakubonis was arrested and charged with attempted assault.