Jamesport man hospitalized after police-involved shooting
A Jamesport man was taken by ambulance to Peconic Bay Medical Center following a police-involved shooting on Manor Lane Wednesday night, according to Riverhead Town officials.
The shooting, which led to a 10-hour closure of the road as multiple police agencies responded to the scene, was precipitated by a call for a domestic dispute between a father and his adult son shortly before 8 p.m.
The son, William G. Klatt, 32, suffered a gunshot wound to the leg after exchanging gunfire with police, Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar said.
Riverhead Police Chief David Hegermiller said no officers were injured in the shooting.
Town police had been responding to a call for a domestic dispute and found Mr. Klatt barricaded inside the home, the chief said. While police spoke with his father, William J. Klatt, 60, the son fired multiple shots through an open window. He then exited the residence and approached police and his father with a shotgun, opening fire.
“We returned fire, striking the subject,” Chief Hegermiller said.
The younger Mr. Klatt, who lives at the residence with his father, is currently under arrest at the hospital. Charges are still pending and details on his arraignment have not yet been announced.
Manor Lane was closed until 6 a.m. Thursday. Even residents looking to return home were forced to park and wait along Main Road until around midnight, as Manor Lane remained a crime scene.
A Manor Lane resident who was home Wednesday evening told the News-Review he heard about a dozen gunshots and thought it might have been hunters. Police then came to the door and told him to evacuate north or go into a basement and lock all the doors.
At 9:30 p.m., police came back and told the resident it was OK to resume normal activities.
Another resident of the street said Thursday morning that she was told to stay in rooms on the far side of her home, away from the incident.
New York State police joined Riverhead in keeping the area closed to traffic. The investigation is being led by the Suffolk County Police Department, Chief Hegermiller said.
