Suffolk County Police Seek FBI's Assistance In Oheka Castle Shooting Investigation
HUNTINGTON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- The FBI may soon involve itself in the investigation into the unsolved shooting of the owner of Long Island's historic Oheka Castle.
On Feb. 24, 2014, a masked gunman drove up to the renowned catering hall in Huntington and opened fire. Real estate developer and political power broker, Gary Melius, was getting into his Mercedes Benz in the estate's parking lot when the gunman fired a shot into his driver's side window.
Melius was shot in the head and hospitalized for more than a week. The kickback from the shot caused the gun to malfunction and likely saved his life.
No arrests have been made.
Two years after the shooting, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Tim Sini has asked the FBI to assist in the investigation, saying the federal agency would provide certain resources and technology not available to local departments.
Sini told Newsday his request to the FBI is part of his top to bottom assessment of the department following the federal probe and arrest of Chief of Department James Burke on a civil rights violation charge.
So far, the FBI has not commented.
The shooting was characterized by police as an assassination attempt. Last year, Melius' friends and family increased a reward to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter.
Police have had little to go on in the case, though they have been searching for the suspect's alleged getaway vehicle — a Jeep Cherokee spotted driving away from the scene.
