Two Shot Outside of NY Gov. Candidate's Home
Facts
- Two men were shot on Sunday afternoon outside the Long Island home of Rep. Lee Zeldin, the Republican candidate for governor of New York. Zeldin's two daughters were home alone and, when they heard screaming and gunshots, reportedly hid in the bathroom and called the police.
- The two 17-year-old boys, from Mastic and Mastic Beach N.Y., were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and are believed to have no connection to the Zeldin family, according to the Suffolk County Police Dept.
- In an interview on Monday, Zeldin said security cameras captured three people on his property, stating that they were hiding "underneath" his porch and "moving all around the property up and down the porch."
- The three teenagers were reportedly walking on Zeldin's street in Shirley, N.Y. when they were reportedly hit by gunfire from a moving car. The third person fled the scene.
- This is the second violent incident surrounding Zeldin in the course of his campaign. In July, a man attempted to stab the congressman on stage at a campaign rally before others tackled him.
- Zeldin has made fighting rising crime a key element of his gubernatorial platform against incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul. Hochul tweeted on Sunday that she was "relieved to hear the Zeldin family is safe."
Sources: Wall Street Journal, New York Times, New York Post, CBS, and CNN.
Narratives
- Republican narrative, as provided by Fox News. Crimes like these have affected countless New Yorkers in recent years thanks to the Democrats' soft-on-crime policies. The unchecked violence Zeldin has been warning about - just like Chicago - has reached his New York doorstep. This is a warning about the reality faced by so many innocent New Yorkers.
- Democratic narrative, as provided by NY Dems. Lee Zeldin continues to campaign on fighting crime, but he has voted to loosen gun laws time and time again. Violent crime in New York - like what happened at his house - is often tied to guns, so why doesn't Zeldin vote for the common sense reforms that will take these weapons from criminals? His policies are dangerous and extreme.