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Man Kills 4 at Long Island Drug Store, Leaves with Prescription Drugs

Posted on Jun 22, 2011

This past Sunday, a man shot and killed four people inside a Long Island, New York drug store. Police say the man also got away with a backpack full of prescription drugs, many of them highly addictive pain killers.

Long Island Police believe that the man's primary intention was to rob Haven Drugs, but say that he didn't leave with any money, just with prescription drugs. His drug of choice is believed to be oxycodone, a highly addictive prescription drug used to treat pain. Police are not sure why the man also killed the only four people in the store, but they believe the man is a drug addict who killed his victims without provocation.

Among the victims are two employees of Haven Drugs and two customers in the store at the time. One of the employees was a 17 year-old high school senior who was just a week shy of graduating. Also killed was a soon-to-be bride whose fiancé found her lifeless body lying on the floor. He had stayed in the car while she went in the store, but entered the store after he noticed she was taking longer than usual.

These tragic stories are unfolding as police try to track down the ruthless killer. Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer said that the man shot his victims at close range and that there was no sign of a struggle from any of the victims. He is warning pharmacy owners that the man may strike again, which has many in the community on edge.

Robberies involving prescription drugs are not a new development in the Long Island area. In fact, holdups for prescription drugs have gone up 125 percent in the past two years. Haven Drugs had been struck by robbers three times before this incident.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is now calling on pharmacies to provide security to make sure something like this does not happen again. But many are now asking, what is addiction, and why does it drive some people to commit senseless acts like this?

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