In the early morning hours, a dispute outside a Central Islip hookah lounge escalated into deadly violence, claiming the life of 40-year-old Jose A. Hernandez of Brentwood. On that Monday in late April of 2022, at approximately 3:45 a.m., a fight broke out in front of the La Hookita De Alberto Hookah Lounge on Suffolk Avenue. During the altercation, Hernandez was shot. Emergency services were called, and he was quickly transported to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore.
Despite the efforts of medical personnel, he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives began an investigation into the incident. They appealed to the public for assistance, asking anyone with information to come forward and contact the Homicide Squad or Crime Stoppers. As of now, the investigation continues, and authorities have not publicly identified any suspects or made any arrests in connection with the fatal shooting of Jose A. Hernandez. The circumstances surrounding the fight and the motive for the shooting remain part of the ongoing inquiry by law enforcement.
A separate and unrelated incident several years prior also ended in the tragic death of a man named Jose Hernandez. This earlier case, which unfolded in Brentwood, involved a violent and personal confrontation. On an evening in September of 2016, 39-year-old Jose Hernandez was viciously attacked with a machete outside a residence on Bradley Street. The assault was the culmination of a dispute with Santo Torres, a Central Islip man who was the ex-boyfriend of the woman Hernandez was dating at the time. Hernandez sustained grievous injuries in the attack and was rushed to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, where he ultimately succumbed to his wounds.
The ensuing police investigation swiftly identified Santo Torres as the assailant, and he was taken into custody. Torres was charged with the murder of Jose Hernandez, and the case proceeded to trial. After a three-week trial, a jury found Santo Torres guilty of murder in the second degree. On his 44th birthday in November 2017, Torres was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the brutal killing. The sentencing brought a measure of closure to the violent death of Jose Hernandez, ensuring that his attacker would be held accountable for his actions.
