(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Michael Lyles, 37, of Central Islip, was sentenced to 24 years to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree for a January 2024 shooting which occurred in the parking lot of a baby shower held at the North Amityville Fire Department.
“Recidivist offenders such as this defendant pose a serious risk to the safety of our communities,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Everyone deserves a second chance, but I will not allow the same individuals to continuously commit crimes in Suffolk County and just get a slap on the wrist. We will be hold you accountable and seek substantial prison sentences.”
The evidence at trial established that on January 27, 2024, Lyles arrived at the North Amityville Fire Department as a guest for a baby shower. As the party was ending, a large fight broke out inside the event, involving several individuals attending the baby shower, including the defendant. As people began moving outside, surveillance video captured the defendant running to the vehicle he arrived in, opening both passenger side doors, and retrieving a firearm. The defendant then pointed the firearm in the direction of another party guest and began discharging his firearm 10 times, striking another guest’s vehicle multiple times. The intended victim was unharmed, and the vehicle was thankfully unoccupied at the time of the shooting. Immediately after the shooting, the defendant handed off the firearm to another individual who fled the scene.
Suffolk County police officers responded to the scene and located ten 9 mm shell casings and a gray Toyota Highlander with multiple bullet holes through the windshield, front hood, and side panels of the driver side of the vehicle. Through video surveillance footage, Lyles was identified as a suspect and a search warrant was executed at his residence. During the execution of the search warrant, law enforcement recovered the sweatshirt that the defendant was wearing on video surveillance footage during the shooting.
On November 25, 2025, Lyles was convicted after a jury trial heard before Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven A. Pilewski of two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, Class C violent felonies.
In 2018, Lyles was convicted of Attempted Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a Class D violent felony, for possessing a loaded firearm. Lyles was released to parole supervision in 2022 and was on parole at the time of this incident. After committing this crime, the defendant became non-compliant with his condition of parole and ultimately fled the jurisdiction. Law enforcement tracked Lyles’ movements with assistance from the United States Marshals Service, and he was apprehended approximately seven months after the shooting.
On March 23, 2026, Lyles was sentenced to 24 years to life in prison. He was represented by the Legal Aid Society.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Kenneth Collado of the Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, and Assistant District Attorney Amanda Scheier of the Major Crimes Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Detective John Caraccia of the Suffolk County Police Department, First Precinct Detective Squad with assistance from the United States Marshal New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force.
