Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Nassau Cop Shot at East Meadow Plaza

The officer's injuries are non-life threatening; suspect, an East Meadow resident, was killed by a second officer, police said.

Update (6:30 p.m.): Police have identified the deceased suspect as 41-year-old Dwayne Oxley of East Meadow.

According to Nassau County detectives, a First Precinct police officer observed Oxley acting suspiciously in an Isuzu SUV in the parking lot of the East Meadow Plaza. The officer confronted and detained Oxley outside of his vehicle.

As a second officer responded to assist, Oxley ran back to his vehicle and locked himself inside, police said. A struggle to remove Oxley from his vehicle turned into a violent confrontation for the officer’s weapon.

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According to police, during this violent struggle, the officer fought to retain his weapon as Oxley attempted to wrestle it away. The weapon discharged several times, striking the officer one time in the left leg.

The second officer rushed to his partner’s aide, saw an opportunity to stop the struggle and fired his weapon, striking Oxley in the upper torso multiple times, police said.

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The Homicide Squad along with the Medical Examiners Office is continuing the investigation.

Original Story

A Nassau County police officer was shot at 5:15 a.m. Friday near Hempstead Turnpike in the East Meadow Shopping Plaza, according to a report from ABC 7.

The officer was taken to for treatment with a gunshot wound to the left leg, police said.

"The injuries are not life-threatening," a Nassau County Public Information Officer told Patch.

According to Det. Lt. Kevin Smith, there was a physical altercation between a male, described to be white and in his 40s, and a First Precinct officer after the cop approached the man's vehicle. During the struggle, several rounds were fired, Smith said, and one struck the officer in the left femur.

“I can absolutely say that there was a violent struggle over the gun," Smith said. "There were several shell casings on the ground.”

Another First Precinct officer fatally shot the suspect in the torso, Smith added. He was taken to NUMC as well for observation, although he wasn't injured in the incident.

Police are waiting for a search warrant to search the man's vehicle, although it doesn't appear that anything unusual is in his car, according to police.

"The investigation is ongoing," police said.

This is a breaking news story, and Patch will provide more information as it's made available.


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