Lonnie Booker, of North Bellport, shot and killed in Robert Rowley Park, fighting spills over to hospital

A North Bellport man was shot and killed Tuesday evening in the hamlet's Robert Rowley Park, Suffolk police said.

The shooting led to hospital restrictions when people fighting in the park afterward went to the emergency room at NYU Langone-Suffolk in East Patchogue for treatment but kept up the hostilities, officials said.

During a news conference Wednesday, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said at 7:28 p.m. Tuesday, police received a 911 call about a man shot at the park. Police found Lonnie Booker, 43, of North Bellport, with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the East Patchogue hospital.

Police limited access to the hospital after a dispute broke out, resulting in the arrest of one person, Catalina said. 

"Certainly, we're concerned and upset about what happened last night," Catalina said. "But I think the people of this area can rest assured that the police will be here, and we're going to make sure that this is a priority of ours."

Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico said the shooting, which occurred on a paved section of the park in front of the handball courts, was captured on newly installed security footage.

At the park on Wednesday morning, four wide-angle lensed cameras could be seen on a pole near the entrance of the park facing the parking lot. Panico, who said he watched the video, said it shows several people in the park and Booker falling to the ground.

The perpetrator then fled in a red sedan and is at large. Police had no information of whether a gun was found at the scene or the hospital.

Catalina said while the shooting remains under investigation, police believe it was a "targeted attack" and that the perpetrator and Booker knew each other.

Robert Rowley Park is a town park where "a lot of money has been invested in," Panico said, including the addition of a number of security cameras.

"The people of Bellport, North Bellport specifically, deserve to live in a clean, safe community," Panico said. "We're going to proceed in the town of Brookhaven in our partnership with the county, namely the police, when it comes to safety, to ensure that happens to the maximum extent of our ability."

Catalina said while "one homicide victim is one too many" and "one shooting victim is one too many," he said this is the first person shot in the Fifth Precinct in 2026.

Exactly one week ago, seven people were taken into custody for trespassing at the park, which closes at dusk. Four of those individuals were arrested on outstanding warrants and three received field appearance tickets, Panico said.

The operation was made after community members made complaints about individuals loitering in the park after hours.

The shooting comes two years after ago Eric Cooper, 43, of Bellport, was also fatally shot and another man was injured near the park.

Meanwhile, the hospital took action after the shooting led to clashes there. Temporary visitor restrictions were implemented as a precautionary measure, said James Iorio, a hospital spokesman. Patient care was not disrupted.