Boy, 15, killed, 2 wounded at Eisenhower Park in apparent gang-related shooting, police commissioner says

Two people "with guns" have been arrested in connection with the shooting death late Wednesday of a 15-year-old boy and the wounding of two men in Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said at the scene in Wednesday night.

Ryder provided no additional information about the two in custody, including possible charges. An arraignment was expected later Thursday.

On Thursday morning, Nassau police continued their investigation and ATF officers arrived at the scene about 10:45 a.m., walking past picnic tables and benches that still had held food, soda and charcoal from a Wednesday evening barbecue where an apparent dispute between two people precipitated the shooting.

Nassau police responded to multiple calls of a shooting near Parking Field 2 about 8:20 p.m., Ryder said. Parking Field 2 is just to the east of tennis courts and a playground.

The two wounded men, ages 28 and 31, were taken to a nearby hospital and are listed in critical condition, Nassau police said in a news release.

The boy was pronounced dead at a hospital, Ryder said. The victim's identification was not immediately available. The two wounded shooting victims were in surgery at a hospital and in stable condition, Ryder said.

The shooting occurred during a "so-called barbecue" at the park for members of "a Blood gang group" promoted on social media, Ryder said. An argument between two individuals at the gathering led to the gunfire, he added.

The investigation was ongoing Thursday morning, where the crime scene at Eisenhower Park’s Field 2 was still blocked off by yellow police tape. Police officers and detectives were seen scanning the ground with metal detectors.

Nassau police vehicles could be seen both behind the tape and around its perimeter.

The incident didn’t stop walkers and joggers from their morning routines, as the crime scene loomed several hundred feet from the bicycle path.

Rick Feinstein, 83, who walks 4 miles three times at week in the park with friends, said he was shocked to hear of the incident.

"In our neighborhood, it just doesn't happen. We've all been here for many, many years running in the park, and we've never had a single incident," Feinstein said. "The biggest incident I had was I lost my wallet."

The group, all former runners and marathoners, had stopped to observe the crime scene investigation. "There's a lot of bikers and regulars that we pass all the time," said Ken Bernstein, 67, calling the shooting a "great surprise."

The barbecue area is several hundred feet from the park's public safety building. Aside from greetings between walkers and the chirping of birds, the scene was quiet Thursday morning.

"I just moved here about five months ago. I love this park," said Howie Reece, 73, who relocated from Brooklyn. "It's a lovely place. I’m going to continue to walk here."

Gerard Biscardi, 78, of Merrick, said he usually comes to the park to ride his bicycle and listen to audiobooks. Despite the incident, he said Nassau County was one of the safest places to live.

“This is the quietest park,” Biscardi said. “It's so clean.”

The county averaged 2.1 gun deaths per 100,000 people between 2020 and 2024, according to the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. That’s below the 2023 average for New York the state, which was 4.82 gun deaths per 100,000 people, according to the nonprofit.

Nassau County saw a decline of about 10% in total index crimes between 2023 and 2024, according to the latest state data, a faster decline than for the state as a whole, which saw a 4% drop. The state defines index crimes as consisting of seven crime types – murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft.

Check back for updates on this developing story.