Police: Killer of four at N.Y. pharmacy wanted painkillers
(CBS/WCBS/AP) MEDFORD, N.Y. - Police said Monday that the the gunman in the Father's Day pharmacy shooting that killed four people in suburban Long Island, N.Y. was after painkillers.
Physicians and the owners of small drugstores in the area were warned to be vigilant about anyone "expressing an urgent need for prescription painkillers."
Police said added police patrols would be deployed near small pharmacies until a suspect is apprehended.
The shootings happened around 10:20 a.m. inside of a family-owned pharmacy in Medford about 60 miles east of New York City. The man was armed with a handgun, stole prescription drugs and killed everyone in the shop at very close range, execution style, before fleeing.
Investigators looking for the shooter are reviewing surveillance camera footage they say captured images of him.
Suffolk County police released photographs of the suspect: a man believed to be in his late 20s or early 30s, about 5-foot-8 with a thin build. He has dark hair, was unshaven or has a dark beard and mustache and wore a white baseball cap and was carrying a black backpack.
The victims of the Sunday morning massacre were identified as pharmacy employees Raymond Ferguson, 45, of Centereach, and Jennifer Mejia, 17, of East Patchogue, and customers Bryon Sheffield, 71, of Medford, and Jamie Taccetta, 33, of Farmingville.
On Monday, the victims' families were trying to cope with the unthinkable as they returned to the scene of the crime, reports CBS station WCBS.
"She didn't deserve it - not like that," said Leslie Mejia, the sister of 17-year-old Jennifer Mejia. "I know she's an angel watching over us now."
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer called Sunday's killing at the pharmacy "one of the most heinous, brutal crimes we have ever encountered."
Detectives asked anyone with information to call the Homicide Squad at 631-852-6392, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential. Police have offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the shooter's arrest.