Andrea Rebello (Photo credit: Facebook)

The gunshot that killed a Hofstra University student during a robbery at her off campus rental house was fired by a Nassau County police officer, authorities said during a press conference Saturday night.

The masked gunman, who police identified Saturday as a parolee, had 21-year-old Andrea Rebello in a headlock and tucked her close to his chest when he spotted the police officer in the home and pointed that gun at him, yelling, “I’m gonna kill her,” said Det. Lt. John Azzata, commanding officer of the Homicide Squad, describing the harrowing events that unfolded early Friday morning.

That’s when the officer fired his gun—eight times—striking and killing the suspect, 30-year-old Dalton Smith, and accidentally shooting Rebello in the head, Azzata said.

“We’re going to conduct a complete investigation of what happened during that time,” Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Dale said, adding that he went to Rebello’s home in Tarrytown in Westchester County to personally inform her parents about how she was tragically killed.

Dale noted that the officer, a 12-year veteran of the Nassau County Police Department, was doing “ok,” and would receive counseling and medical treatment if needed.

Rebello’s death has gripped the entire Hofstra community as it prepares for Sunday’s commencement, which will go on as scheduled.

At Saturday’s press conference, Azzata described the events in gripping detail, beginning with how Smith easily entered the home and the tragic conclusion.

Azzata said the four students living in the house had just returned home just after 2 a.m. when one of the females suggested that the male resident move his car because of parking restrictions on California Avenue. The door was left open as the male went upstairs to get his keys, Azzata said.

Police said Dalton Smith of Hempstead was the masked gunman that sparked a police-involved shooting that killed him and a Hofstra student on Friday.

“When he returned back to the first floor of that home there was a male inside that house,” Azzata said of Smith, who was outfitted in dark clothes and a ski mask and was armed with a gun that had its serial number defaced.

Smith, a parolee who was released from jail in February, “almost immediately violated parole,” Azzata said.

The male student was instructed by the gunman to sit on a sofa along with two other females, officials said. Smith then inquired about money and jewelry and then directed the students to the second floor where they kept their belongings.

The students had a limited amount of cash, officials said, so Smith asked the students if they could withdraw money from an ATM. One of the females said she could and was told by Smith “if she did not return within eight minutes he would kill one of the individuals in the house,” Azzata said.

“He pointed the gun at one of the individuals and told her ‘go get the money,’” he added.

The female left and dialed 911 at 2:25 a.m. and police were dispatched to the house at 2:29 a.m., officials said.

Two First Precinct officers arrived, knocked on the door and were soon met by Rebello’s twin sister, Jessica, who was instructed to tell police that nothing was wrong.

Jessica left the house “screaming ‘he’s got a gun,’” Azzata said.

When officers entered the house they believed that “there was just a gunman upstairs,” he noted.

Smith then forced the male student downstairs and kept yelling for him to “keep moving,” police said. The student slipped and was able to escape behind the sofa.

Rebello, the only victim that hadn’t escaped, was placed in a headlock by Smith who then pointed the gun to her head as he made his way downstairs and toward a rear door, using her as a shield.

When Smith realized there was a police officer in the hallway he moved Rebello closer to the front of his body and eventually pointed the gun at the cop before they were both shot and killed by the officer, Azzata said.

Smith never got off a shot. The gun was loaded, police said.

The house was not targeted, Azzata said, characterizing the robbery as a “crime of opportunity.”

Investigators will continue their investigation. The officer who fired the fatal shots is technically “out sick,” according to Dale.

Smith has an “extensive criminal history,” which includes three separate robbery arrests from 1999 to 2003. He was also arrested for promoting prison contraband in May 2000 and assault in 2003, according to police. A warrant was issued for Smith on April 25 because he had escaped parole, police said.

“A young member of the Hofstra family has been taken from us in a senseless act of violence,” Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz said in a statement Friday. “Our hearts and minds and our thoughts and prayers are with her family, her friends, and her classmates.”

“While our hearts are laden with grief, this weekend’s commencement ceremonies will go on as scheduled,” he added. “The accomplishments of our graduates must be recognized, and together our community will heal and find the strength to move forward.”

A funeral mass for Rebello, a public relations major, is scheduled for Wednesday in Sleepy Hollow, according to The Journal News.

Police said Dalton Smith of Hempstead was the masked gunman that sparked a police-involved shooting that killed him and a Hofstra student on Friday.

A Hempstead man with an “extensive criminal history” that dates back nearly 14 years has been identified as the robbery suspect who was shot and killed in a shootout with police at an off-campus rental house outside Hofstra University that also killed a 21-year-old student, Nassau County police said Saturday.

Thirty-year-old Dalton Smith was on parole for first-degree robbery before he was shot dead early Friday morning, police said in a news release, adding that a warrant was issued for Smith on April 25 for “absconding from parole.”

Smith’s criminal history includes three separate arrests for robbery, which occurred in August 1999, May 2003 and September 2003. He was also arrested for promoting prison contraband in May 2000 and assault in 2003, according to police.

Smith was identified through fingerprint analysis, police said.

According to police, Smith wore a ski mask and was armed with a gun when he knocked on the door of a California Avenue home just after 2 a.m. Friday and then entered the house. Four people were inside during the robbery attempt, including Andrea Rebello, the student from Westchester County who was shot and killed during the incident, and her twin sister.

Smith, for reasons still unclear, allowed one of the females to leave the house. After fleeing the scene, the female dialed 911 and police swarmed the house at 2:29 a.m., police said during a press conference Friday outside the scene.

“This whole road was lit up with sirens,” said Victoria Dehel, who rents a house on California Avenue with other students, and ran onto her porch after hearing loud screams coming from Rebello’s rental house.

Andrea Rebello (Photo credit: Facebook)

“The screaming just got worse and worse and worse,” Dehel recalled, “then we heard thuds.”

Gunfire erupted inside the house, killing Rebello and Smith, police said. It’s unclear who fired the fatal shots. Police did not say how many shots were fired, adding that they were going to conduct forensic tests to help determine what happened.

A gun was recovered at the scene, police said.

Rebello’s tragic death came just three days before Hofstra’s commencement ceremonies, which will still go on as scheduled.

“The accomplishments of our graduates must be recognized, and together our community will heal and find the strength to move forward,” said Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz, calling the incident a “senseless act of violence.”

“Our hearts and minds and our thoughts and prayers are with her family, her friends and her classmates,” he added in a statement.

A funeral mass for Rebello is scheduled for Wednesday in Sleepy Hollow, according to The Journal News.

The second incident, which occurred Saturday morning in Ronkonkoma, involved three officers and members of the Lakeland Fire Department who responded to the scene after police received a 911 call regarding a male that had overdosed, police said.

Fourth Precinct officer Jennifer Andriano was the first to respond to the Calvert Avenue home of the overdose victim and immediately began CPR, police said. Two other officers—Keith Weinberg and Daniel Sable—and firefighters also assisted with CPR before Weinberg administered a dose of Narcan, a prescription drug that reverses opiate overdoses.

The 26-year-old man regained consciousness and was transported to Saint Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown.

In the other incident, the off-duty officer was inside a Mount Sinai store when he helped revive an 86-year-old man who fell to the ground after suffering a heart attack.

Police are asking for the public to help identify the two people they believe were involved in stealing $70,000 worth of jewelry from a story in Broadway Mall.

Nassau County police is asking the public to help identify two people—a male and a female—that they believe stole $70,000 worth of jewelry from a store in Broadway Mall in Hicksville two months ago, police said.

The two people pictured in the surveillance photo were in Ailin Jewelry Inc. just after 7 p.m. on March 13 and worked together to steal assorted gold jewelry items, police said.

They were last seen fleeing the scene south toward Macy’s, police said.

Anyone with information regarding the two people in the surveillance photo are asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All calls are anonymous.

Yennis Alvarado, who was eight months pregnant, sustained internal bleeding and a broken pelvis, police said. The 27-year-old and her infant are listed in serious condition.

Police said Alvarado was attempting to turn left onto Dixon Avenue from 31st Street when she collided with a Honda Accord traveling northbound on Dixon Avenue just before 5 p.m.

Alvarado had to be transported to Stony Brook University Hospital by helicopter, police said.

The other driver, a 24-year-old woman from Copiague, and a female passenger, were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital and were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. A male passenger in Alvarado’s car wasn’t injured.

Both vehicles were impounded for safety checks, police said. The investigation is ongoing. Detectives ask anyone with information regarding the crash to call the First Squad at 631-854-8152.

Powerball jackpot soars to $600 million

Long Islanders now have 600 million reasons to test their luck Saturday and join in on the Powerball craze.

The popular lottery game has soared to $600 million this week as lottery hopefuls descended on stores across the country looking for that one lucky ticket in advance of Saturday’s much-anticipated drawing.

The jackpot is now the largest ever in the game’s history, surpassing the previous record of $587 million in Nov. 2012.

Sales in recent days have soared. Wednesday’s drawing came and went with nobody claiming the $360 million jackpot and by Thursday morning the jackpot had climbed to $475 million. By that afternoon, it had already reached $500 million and was well on its way to record-breaking territory.

Powerball has gained in popularity recently, partly due to the $1 million second place prize.

Two Long Island stores—one in Southampton and the other in Massapequa—both sold the second place prize during Wednesday’s drawing, which is awarded to ticket buyers who match the first five winning numbers.

The cash payout for Saturday night’s drawing is $376.9 million, according to Powerball’s website.

Lance Prager, an emergency services section officer, was at Agway of Port Jefferson on Route 25A at 3:27 p.m. when he witnessed the man suffer cardiac arrest, police said. The 86-year-old man fell to the ground and had no pulse and wasn’t breathing, police said.

That’s when Prager jumped into action and asked an employee at the store to grab his medical kit from his car as he started CPR. Two patrol officers arrived and started doing compressions and helped administer a shock with a defibrillator, police said.

The man started breathing again and was taken to John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson where he is in critical but stable condition, police said.

Riverhead Town Police said Daniel Kiernan was driving a Chevrolet pickup truck eastbound on Route 25A when his truck veered from the lane and hit the back of the tractor trailer that was stopped with its hazard lights flashing on the side of the road at 6:20 a.m.

The Selden man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The other driver, 26-year-old DuWayne Tirado of Connecticut, was not injured. He was summonsed for a parking violation.

The truck was making a delivery to a landscaping company at the time. It is registered to Toria Truck Rental, Inc. based in Windsor Locks, Conn.

Ivone Oliviera

A 34-year-old Levittown woman employed as a teachers’ aide at the Henry Vicardi School for students with disabilities in Albertson has been accused of sexting a student over the past five months.

Nassau County police arrested Ivone Oliviera on Thursday and charged her with endangering the welfare of a disabled person.

Oliviera “engaged in an inappropriate relationship” with the victim beginning in January, when she “displayed inappropriate physical contact with the victim such as hugging and kissing,” police said in a news release.

Third Squad detectives alleged that she had also sent the victim “text messages and photos from her phone which was of a sexual manner.”

She will be arraigned Friday at First District Court in Hempstead.

The case is marks the seventh time this year a Long Island school teacher or administrator has been arrested for allegedly behaving inappropriately around students.

New York State police are investigating the murder of Kelvin Rolando Cruz Martinez, who was discovered in a wooded area west of the parkway and north of Sunrise Highway on May 8.

A day laborer had been found dead in the same woods last year. Nassau County police had found a 46-year-old Hempstead man dead in a nearby Roosevelt preserve two months ago.

Police said there a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest in Martinez’ case.

Any person with information please contact 631-756-3300 or e-mail tips to lmajcrim@troopers.ny.gov. All calls will be kept confidential.