Crime & Safety
NYC Man Gets 18 Years Prison Time In Pool Hall Shooting On Long Island: DA
"With this sentence, we want the public to know that we are holding perpetrators of violent crimes accountable." - DA Ray Tierney
RIVERSIDE, NY — A Bronx man was sentenced to 18 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision in connection with shooting two men in a fight at a Port Jefferson pool hall two years ago, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney's office said Friday.
On Dec. 28, 2022, Alexander Castillo, 27, played pool for several hours at a pool hall in Port Jefferson, and over the course of the evening, he placed wagers on each game which resulted in mounting financial losses, prosecutors said.
At around 7 p.m., he left the pool hall and returned around three minutes later wearing a ski mask and hat and carrying a loaded gun, prosecutors said, adding that Castillo tried to take back his losses from his opponent by flashing the weapon and demanding the money.
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A struggle ensued where Castillo’s opponent and another male tried to wrestle the gun away from
him and when the struggle spilled out onto the street, Castillo shot one man in the groin area and a second man in the chest, then bolted before police arrived, according to prosecutors.
Both men were taken to local hospitals and received emergency medical treatment for their injuries, prosecutors said.
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Suffolk police arrested Castillo in Manhattan in February 2023.
“With this sentence, we want the public to know that we are holding perpetrators of violent crimes accountable,” Tierney said. “The defendant attempted to settle a petty financial dispute with a gun but instead will be spending the next 18 years in prison.”
In August, Castillo was convicted of two counts of first-degree criminal use of a firearm, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and one count of second-degree criminal use of a firearm, as well as four counts of second-degree assault.
He was additionally convicted of one count of second-degree attempted robbery, one count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and one count of petty larceny.
His attorney, Ian Fitzgerald of Central Islip, declined comment.
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