By ELIZABETH A. HARRIS
Published: June 19, 2011
Four people were shot and killed at a pharmacy in Medford, N.Y., on Sunday morning in what appeared to be an attempted robbery, the Suffolk County police said. One of the victims was a senior at a local high school who was to graduate this week.
At about 10 a.m., not long after the pharmacy, Haven Drugs, opened for the day, a single gunman entered and, at some point, opened fire. The police would not say whether anything had been stolen, and by early Sunday night no arrest had been made.
The police said that two of the victims, Raymond Ferguson, 45, of Centereach and Jennifer Mejia, 17, of East Patchogue, worked at the drug store.
The other two victims, Bryon Sheffield, 71, of Medford and Jamie Taccetta, 33, of Farmingville, were customers.
Ms. Mejia, a senior at Bellport High School, lived with her family on a cul-de-sac in East Patchogue.
A priest stood in back of the Mejias’ home Sunday evening saying prayers with the family. An uncle of Jennifer’s, Antonio Mejia, said that Jennifer’s mother had refused to leave her room.
By late Sunday afternoon, a community page had sprung up on Facebook to memorialize the teenager. Photographs showed her in class and with friends. Dozens of comments quickly appeared, offering thoughts and prayers for her family.
Haven Drugs is a small local pharmacy that sits next to a medical office building, on a commercial strip in Medford, a hamlet on Long Island about 60 miles east of New York City.
“It’s not like a CVS,” said Stacy Gallagher, a regular customer who lives in Medford. “It’s a very homey environment.”
Witnesses said the pharmacy’s owner, Vinoda Kudchadkar, collapsed near his store after he learned of what happened Sunday morning.
Angela Macropoulos contributed reporting.
A version of this article appeared in print on June 20, 2011, on page A23 of the New York edition with the headline: Gunman Kills 4 in L.I. Pharmacy; One Victim Is a 17-Year-Old Girl..
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