Crime & Safety

Garden City Shooting Suspect Hails from Queens

East Garden City shooting suspect still at large, but police confirm suspect's car found upstate.

This article was written by Carisa Giardino.

Police throughout New York State are still hunting for East Garden City shooting suspect Sang Ho Kim, the gunman who allegedly opened fire at a lighting company Wednesday morning, killing one and seriously injuring another.

The shooting occurred at Savenergy, located at 645 South Street in the industrial area near Stewart Avenue. Kim, whom the Daily News reported lives in Fresh Meadows, was a company vender.

Police confirmed Kim's getaway car, a white Honda Civic, was found in Putnam County late Wednesday. There's police activity in the area of Main Street and Route 9D where state troopers are blocking traffic northbound on Route 9D checking trunks of cars coming south onto Main Street, according to eyewitnesses.

Police said Kim, believed to be about 63 years old, entered the building at 10:11 a.m., confronted the employees and allegedly began shooting, striking two male victims. One victim died, while the second victim underwent surgery at an area hospital.

Kim was last seen wearing a red shirt with a grey or brown suit jacket, according to a police report. The public is urged to call 911 if they see Kim, who is considered "armed and dangerous."

The incident rattled a major business district as roads were shut down and Garden City schools placed on lock out for hours as county and state police, along with the the FBI, swarmed the scene in search for Kim. Roosevelt Field Mall was put on lockdown at approximately 10:45 a.m. No one was permitted to enter the mall, though shoppers were allowed to leave.

Office buildings in the area were also placed on lockdown. Matthew Tamke, who works at 100 Garden City Plaza, said the situation was surreal. 

"We were at our desks and a guy comes in with a bulletproof vest on, full black uniform, and a gun pointed at us as he searched the building for [the shooter]. It was just so surreal and so bizarre," he said.

Secondhand information flooded employees' ears as they waited in their businesses, including You're Invited Sales, which sits on Stewart Avenue and backs up to the scene of the shooting.

"We were put on lockdown and were told to stay put," said Tracy Dukes, who works at You're Invited Sales. "And the news that came in was very sketchy. It was all word of mouth. We thought the shooting was in Roosevelt Field. Little did we know, it was about 500 feet behind us!"


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