Peacefulness of New Hyde Park Neighborhood Shattered by Shooting

Residents of the North New Hyde Park neighborhood where a Nassau County Police Officer was shot early Wednesday morning are still in shock about the entire incident.

"Never in a million years," 80-year-old Joe Owens said when asked if he thought such an incident would occur near his home.

Owens, who has lived on nearby Nugent Street since 1963, first heard several spurts of gunfire before silence and then a series of shots again.

"I heard more firecrackers," he said describing the noise, not knowing what they were "until we found out what happened."

According to Nassau Police, 32-year old Mohit Arora, a six-year veteran of the department, was responding to burglary at about 2 a.m. on Campbell Street in North New Hyde Park. Police state that the home had been targeted in the burglary. Arora was struck in the hip by a bullet fired from a 9mm handgun. He was taken to North Shore Long Island Jewish Hospital where he is listed in stable condition.

"I think of drugs, I think of desperate people and I think that as safe as you think you really are in your home, if somebody's desperate, they might want to break into your house," Owens said. "The thing that amazed me was the rapid response. It was amazing. That's the good feeling that you get out of this, that if you're in trouble, the response is unbelievable."

A large portion of New Hyde Park had been closed off as 20-30 officers conducted a manhunt for the shooting suspects according to police. Police placed two men into custody for questioning about the shooting and they are not searching for any additional suspects.

"I just heard the helicopters," neighbor Tom Li, 24, said referring to the manhunt. "I don't really know what to say at this point. I always considered this neighborhood to be among the safest; even online sources say that. I don't know what to say now."

The identities of the two men placed into police custody have not yet been released.

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