Long Island Man Gets 8 Years For Double Shooting

PORT JEFFERSON STATION, NY — A Long Island man who pleaded guilty to a double shooting stemming from a 2021 brawl outside of a bar was sentenced last week to eight years in prison followed by five years of parole, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney's office said.

Just before the June 19, 2021 shooting, the then 20-year-old Ethan Ladd, who was identified by law enforcement as a member of the Just Chasing Money, or "JCM" gang, had met a 23-year-old man and a 20-year-old man, and "allegedly became engaged in an argument with one of the men," prosecutors previously said.

Ladd, the two men, and several other people had been in a parking lot off Main Street where an "altercation ensued" with him coming to blows "with one of the men," said prosecutors, adding that Ladd then took a .380-caliber handgun from his car and shot one of the men in the abdomen, and then "shot the other man twice in the leg and once in the arm at close range" before bolting in his car.

Both men were transported to a local hospital with "serious physical injuries," according to prosecutors.

Ladd pleaded guilty to the top charge of attempted murder back in April.

His sentence was in accordance with Jenna's Law, court records show. Jenna's Law establishes determinate sentences for first-time violent felony offenders, requiring their imprisonment for a longer period of at least six-sevenths of their sentences, despite good behavior, according to the state's Department of Correctional Services.

An order of protection was also extended, according to online court records.

Ladd had been free on $25,000 bail, but was arrested after a traffic stop in Port Jefferson Station during which drugs and cash were seized on March 8, police said. He was pulled over for a traffic violation, and during the stop, officers discovered "a large quantity of marijuana and crack cocaine," according to police.

He was charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, fourth-degree criminal possession of a narcotic drug, and first-degree criminal possession of cannabis, police said. Police noted he was also charged with third-degree tampering with a witness for "an unrelated upcoming legal proceeding."

Authorities did not offer any further details about the witness tampering charge.

The additional charges will be dismissed as part of the plea deal.

Ladd had never been arrested before, lived at home, worked with his father, and had plans to go to college and take courses in Liberal Arts during the fall of 2021, said his attorney, Steven Politi of Central Islip.

Politi said that at the root of the case was whether Ladd had acted in self-defense, but further review of evidence, videos, witness statements, and the chronology of the events, he believed it was "wise to resolve the case by taking the plea."

"Because from an evidentiary standpoint, there could have been a situation where a juror would have found that he didn't, in fact, defend himself justifiably under the law," he said.

Politi said he hopes that Ladd is eligible for all education programs, as well as any others that would benefit him.

"As you know, time goes fast and he's going to be out before he knows it," he said. "And, hopefully, he'll put himself in a position that he'll be better and he'll be ready to do things that he needs to do that will put him in a positive light."