Riverhead Teen Pleads Guilty To Shootings

A Riverhead teenager pleaded guilty last week after two November shootings.

Juan Soyos-Pixtun, 18, pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted assault in the first degree, four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, and two counts of assault in the second degree, according to Robert Clifford, spokesperson for Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota, on Tuesday.

The DA's office, Clifford said, will recommend a seven year determination, plus five years of post release supervision. Soyos-Pixtun is slated to be sentenced on June 12 before Judge Mark Cohen.

The defendent is to be deported to Guatamala, his country of origin, upon completion of his sentence, Clifford added.

In addition, permanent orders of protection are to be issued at the time of his sentence, Clifford said.

Riverhead Police arrested on charges of second-degree attempted murder and assault after a shooting led them to the same suspect in the unrelated  the week before. He was held on $500,000 bail.

Police said Soyos-Pixtun shot a 20-year old Riverhead man with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun near Marcy Avenue and Pulaski Street. Police arrived to find the victim on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper leg. Witnesses at the scene told police that Soyos-Pixtun was the shooter, according to a police statement. The man's wounds were described as "non-life-threatening," police said.

Peeker added that an investigation revealed Soyos-Pixtun as the shooter in what they said was an unrelated incident the previous week, when police said  downtown outside the t on West Main Street.

Soyos-Pixtun was charged with second degree-attempted murder, second-degree criminal possession of a firearm and first-degree criminal use of a firearm. Soyos-Pixtun was also charged with second-degree assault and second-degree criminal possession of a firearm for the Nov. 4 shooting.

At the time, assault charges were upgraded to attempted murder in the Polish Town shooting because of evidence that Soyos-Pixtun threatened to kill the man.

The incidents were not thought to be gang-related.