What Happened
A Greenlawn man has been indicted on attempted murder charges after allegedly shooting the mother of his children at close range on June 4, 2026, leaving her paralyzed, and then leading police on a multi-county chase before being captured on the grounds of a New Rochelle elementary school, according to News 12 Long Island. Suffolk County prosecutors announced the indictment on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
Eric Whilby, 37, of Greenlawn had been living with his ex-girlfriend — the victim and mother of his two children — along with their children, ages 9 and 11, and the woman’s mother, brother, and sister at a shared residence. Prosecutors say Whilby became angry on June 4 because the woman did not come directly home from work. As she drove along Leigh Street in Greenlawn en route to meet her sister at a nearby park, Whilby allegedly ran up to her vehicle and fired a shot at close range through the window.
The bullet struck the woman in the left shoulder and traveled into her spinal cord, causing life-threatening injuries. The wound ultimately paralyzed the victim, News 12 Long Island reports. The woman was rushed to a hospital, where prosecutors say she remains recovering. Her sister, who was on the phone with the victim at the moment of the shooting, heard her scream and the gunshot. The sister and a friend who were nearby allegedly witnessed Whilby flee the scene in a vehicle immediately after the attack.
Following the shooting, Whilby was later spotted by New York State Police driving in Westchester County. He allegedly led troopers on a pursuit along Interstate 95 before crashing his vehicle into a ditch. Rather than surrendering, Whilby abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot. Law enforcement officers reportedly chased him across the grounds of an elementary school in New Rochelle while students were in the middle of a Field Day event. He was taken into custody on the school grounds. A firearm believed to have been used in the Greenlawn shooting was later recovered from a wooded area near the school, according to prosecutors.
This incident is the culmination of an investigation that began the same day as the shooting. Earlier coverage of the June 4 event was published by Long Island Traffic in two separate breaking reports: Woman Shot, Seriously Injured In Greenlawn: Police and Woman Shot and Seriously Injured in Greenlawn, which documented the initial law enforcement response.
Location & Road Context
The shooting took place on Leigh Street in Greenlawn, a hamlet in the Town of Huntington in Suffolk County. Leigh Street is a residential road, and the attack occurred as the victim was driving — not on a major arterial — underscoring that the violence was targeted rather than traffic-related. Greenlawn has seen a cluster of serious incidents in recent months, including a bicyclist airlifted to the hospital following a crash on May 27 and a serious crash on Pulaski Road that closed a section of that road just days prior.
The pursuit portion of the incident moved off Long Island entirely, extending along Interstate 95 in Westchester County before concluding at a New Rochelle elementary school — placing law enforcement from multiple jurisdictions, including the New York State Police, on scene.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Eric Whilby was arraigned Monday, July 14, 2026, on three charges: attempted murder, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon. Suffolk County prosecutors announced the indictment the following day, Tuesday, July 14. According to News 12 Long Island, if convicted on the top charge of attempted murder, Whilby faces up to 25 years in prison. The firearm recovered from the wooded area near the New Rochelle elementary school is believed by prosecutors to be the weapon used in the Leigh Street shooting, and its recovery represents a key piece of physical evidence in the case.
Broader Impact
Attempted murder convictions in New York carry a maximum sentence of 25 years under state law — the ceiling Whilby now faces if found guilty on the top count. The circumstances here, involving a domestic relationship and children aged 9 and 11 present in the shared home at the time, place this squarely within the category of domestic violence-related attempted homicide, which Suffolk County prosecutors have increasingly prioritized for grand jury indictment rather than plea resolution at the misdemeanor or lesser felony level.