Scout struck by alleged drunk driver dead, police say

A scout boy was seriously injured on Sunday when four other people walking on the roadway were hit by a drunk driver alleged to be dead, the Suffolk County police said on Monday.

The police identified the boy as Andrew McMorris, 12, from Wading River. The Shoreham-Wading River Central School District confirmed that a seventh grade student had passed away, but he did not identify the student.

Andrew was one of 18 people walking in a surveillance group – all wearing bright red clothes – and heading north on the shoulder of David Terry Road in Manorville when the accident occurred. said prosecutor Jacob DeLauter.

Andrew was flown by helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital, while the other four were taken to the Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead, police said.

Scout Thomas Lane, 15, of Shoreham, suffered serious injuries, police said. Others – Denis Lane, 16, Shoreham; Kaden Lynch, 15, and Matthew Yakaboski, both 15 and Calverton, were injured, the police said.

Thomas Murphy, 59, from Holbrook, drove a 2016 Mercedes southbound on David Terry Road at 13:55. when his vehicle struck the five scouts of Shoreham Troop 161, Suffolk police said.

The group was walking about 1,000 meters from Mill Road, the police said. Their online agenda that day included an afternoon hike on the Long Island Greenbelt Trail. They were walking near a county park.

Murphy was charged with driving while intoxicated and his driver's license was suspended when he was charged on Monday in the first district court in Central Islip.

DeLauter, a deputy district attorney at the Auto Crime Bureau, testified before the court that Mr. Murphy was intoxicated and that he was showing negligence in his driving during dry, clear weather. Officials said they hoped to get updates following the death of Andrew.

DeLauter said that Murphy had told a police officer on the spot that he had been drinking but that he had refused to take a breathalyzer test.

The Suffolk County Boy Scout Council sent a message to the Andrew Scouts community on Monday. "We offer our deepest condolences to the victim's family and we will support them in every possible way, and our thoughts are with Scouts recovering," the council said on social media.

The board said it was emphasizing safety in "everything we do" while striving to create "the safest environment possible for young members" .

Murphy's lawyer, Steve Flynn, said his client was a 25-year-old Suffolk County resident, a father and a husband. He noted that Murphy has undergone two heart surgeries.

Flynn said Murphy offers his condolences to the deceased boy's family.

"It's a tragedy for everyone," he said.

Judge James Matthews called Murphy "an obvious and present danger to New York residents. He has released on bail a bond of $ 250,000 or a bond of $ 500,000.

Murphy's next hearing is October 11th.

Craig Schneider is from Long Island and a graduate of Stony Brook University. He joined Newsday as a reporter for a general mission in January 2018 after 20 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.