Three people were shot during a pool party at The Mansion at Glen Cove, a Great Gatsby-esque 187-room enclave on Long Island Gold Coast, authorities say.
According to police, at least 150 people had turned out at the Nassau County venue for an annual event known as the Big Fendi Celebrity Birthday Celebration, which had been advertised on social media as being at The Mansion on Sunday.
One Instagram account that publicized the party called it "NYC's only premium open format music pool party with Botle, Food and Hookah Service -- with RSVPs a MUST." Big Fendi is the rapper credited with discovering Nicki Minaj. He also let Sean "Diddy" Combs use the name "Dirty Money" for his group, reports MTV.
"A private party that was advertised on social media came into town. It has happened before, we've had noise complaints, but never anything like this," said Glen Cove Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck.
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A fight broke out in the building's lobby around 5 p.m. Sunday, officials said. It wasn't clear what it was about, but Glen Cove police said a security guard tried to intervene and shots erupted. The guard was shot once, as were two party-goers, police said.
"It was a very chaotic scene, we had 150-200 partygoers. Once shots rang out, chaos erupted," said Glen Cove Police lt. John Nagle.
All were taken to a hospital and all are expected to recover.
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Police had posted a message on Facebook earlier in the evening confirming "an incident where a shot was fired at a private event." No other details were available.
The Mansion at Glen Cove is a high-end boutique hotel typically reserved for weddings and fundraisers. Top local police officials say they can't recall responding to this kind of call at that venue ever -- or at least in recent decades.
Mayor Panzenbeck called the chaos "upsetting and disappointing" and said the town wouldn't authorize future permits for similar events at the location. The weekend's party was not authorized by the town.
"These were not Glen Cove people. They came in from out of town," Panzenbeck said. "It won't happen again.
The shooter was still on the run as of late Monday. Police have not yet identified the gunman.
Those who live near the mansion said the pool parties happen all too often, with unruly parties having gone on for at least two years.
"We can't sit in our back yard. We have friends and family here, and they hear it. Sometimes we even feel the bass within the house," said one local resident. "It's a residential area. We love being here and they used to call it the Gold Cast. It doesn't seem golden anymore."
The owner of the mansion did not respond to multiple requests for comment, nor did the party promoters. Panzenbeck said she would meet with the owners of the hotel to urge them not to host similar parties again.
