Gary Melius fears Oheka Castle hitman will try again

Wounded developer under police protection as detectives hunt for gunman and an accomplice

From left: Gary Melius and Oheka Castle
From left: Gary Melius and Oheka Castle

Long Island real estate developer Gary Melius is worried that the gunman who shot him in the face Monday will strike again, police said.

Police are guarding the Melius’ hospital room as he recovers from an assassination attempt at his posh Oheka Castle in Huntington, N.Y. The bullet hit Melius in the forehead, but did not pierce his skull, a Suffolk County police detective told the New York Post.

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“We’ve got to investigate every aspect of his personal and professional life to determine who did this to him,” the detective, Sgt. John O’Sullivan, said.

A masked gunman fired three bullets at Melius, who was sitting in a Mercedes-Benz outside his home. The gunman left in a Jeep Cherokee with an accomplice, police said. Surveillance footage failed to capture the face of the shooter.

A source told the Post the shooting occurred about a week after the developer allegedly revealed to the feds that Nassau Democratic Party chair Jay Jacobs was involved in witness tampering. Melius’ dispute with Jacobs is tied to a scandal that led to Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Dale resigning last year, the source said. [NYP]Mark Maurer