Man Charged In May Shooting Near Elementary School: Cops

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — A Riverhead man has been charged with shooting a handgun near a Riverside elementary school while in the car with a teenager back in May, police said.

According to Southampton Town Police detectives, Roland Miles, 43, was arrested on Friday at 7:26 p.m. at the USA gas station in Flanders and charged in relation to a shooting incident that occurred on May 9 on Brown Street in Riverside. The investigation revealed that Miles discharged a handgun from his vehicle in a residential neighborhood while the 15-year old was in the vehicle with him, police said.

Miles was also found to be in possession of a quantity of crack cocaine and powder cocaine, police said.

He was charged with first degree reckless endangerment, a felony, endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, and seventh degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, police said.

Miles was arraigned in Southampton Justice Court on Aug. 18 where he was released without bail, police said.

Southampton Town Police responded to Brown Street and Goodrich Avenue on May 9 at 9:40 a.m. after receiving multiple 911 calls reporting shots fired, police said. When officers arrived, no victims were found; however, a short time later police were notified by staff at Peconic Bay Medical Center that a 15-year-old male had arrived with a gunshot wound to the foot, police said.

After the gunshots sparked a lockout at the Phillips Avenue Elementary School and amped up police security, Southampton Town Police Chief Steven Skrynecki addressed the unsettled community.
At the time, Flanders Riverside and Northampton Community Association President Ron Fisher said he'd spoken with Skrynecki, who understood that there was "worry and unease" in the community after the gunshots and lockout at the school.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact the Southampton Town Detective Division at (631) 702-2230.

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