A Hempstead man was convicted of attempted murder and other charges in a 2023 shooting at a Freeport bar that left a 23-year-old security guard paralyzed from the neck down and seriously injured another patron, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly announced.
Tiray Clemmons, 34, was found guilty Tuesday, Sept. 16, after a jury trial before Judge Meryl Berkowitz on two counts of attempted murder in the second degree, two counts of assault, criminal use of a firearm and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
The trial began Sept. 2, and the jury deliberated for less than five hours. Clemmons is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 16 and faces up to 50 years in prison.
According to prosecutors, the incident occurred July 15, 2023, at Agua on the Mile, a bar on the Nautical Mile in Freeport. Clemmons became angry after being denied re-entry by a security guard following a verbal altercation with the bar manager.
Moments later, he returned in a black sedan and fired six shots from a .357 handgun at the security guard, striking him in the back and severing his spinal cord. The victim was taken to South Nassau Hospital for emergency surgery and will spend the rest of his life in a nursing facility, unable to walk or fully use his arms.
Another bystander was hit by two bullets, one in the neck and one in the scrotum, requiring surgery. Clemmons fled the scene and later disposed of the firearm in a nearby canal. The gun was recovered July 19 by Nassau County police divers.
Clemmons was arrested the same day by members of the Nassau County Police Department’s Gang Investigations Squad, First Precinct Squad, and Freeport Police Department.
“Clemmons did not give a single thought to the terror he would cause that night and the lives he would shatter. All he wanted was retribution,” said Donnelly in a press release.
Clemmons’ attorney, Randy Zelin, said, “We are disappointed in the verdict,” but added that he is already preparing for sentencing and post-trial motions and seeking the most reasonable appeal for his client.
The case was prosecuted by Paula Cajdler of the Firearm Suppression and Intelligence Unit, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Nicholas Mauro and Executive Assistant District Attorney Rick Whelan.
