A car passenger was shot when another driver fired two bullets into the car she was in with her boyfriend and 11-week-old daughter on Long Island in what police are investigating as a case of road rage, authorities said.
Suffolk County police say Nichole McDowell and her boyfriend, Edward Pontis, both of Ronkonkoma, were riding with their infant daughter shortly before 9 p.m. Monday when a minivan in front of them began weaving back and forth on Sunrise Highway in East Patchogue Monday night.
Police say Pontis flashed his bright lights at the driver, passed the minivan, pulled in front of it and slammed on the brakes. The minivan driver sped up close to the rear of Pontis' Hyundai and flashed his lights. Angry words were also exchanged.
The minivan driver then pulled up alongside the Hyundai and fired two shots into the car, striking McDowell in the hand and leg, officials said. She's in stable condition. The baby wasn't injured.
No arrests have been made in the shooting. The minivan, which police believe to have been occupied by two or three individuals is described as being light colored.
At a press conference Tuesday, officials said both vehicles were engaged in dangerous conduct, and that Pontis may face charges for driving recklessly, though the investigation is still ongoing.
Suffolk Police Chief of Department Stuart Cameron said the bullet which grazed McDowell's hand and lodged in her thigh came "dangerously close" to hitting the infant.
A person who answered the door at the McDowell's home declined comment.
Local
Michael George contributed reporting.
