Six months after a Long Island political power broker was shot by a masked gunman in a bungled assassination attempt on the grounds of his estate, Oheka Castle, police still have no leads.
Victim Gary Melius told us, “There are 20 people working on this investigation full-time, but there are no leads. They can’t find the owner of the car and they don’t have the license plate.”
Melius was leaving his 100,000-square-foot Huntington estate around 12:30 p.m. Feb. 24 when the assailant fired three times at his head through the window of his Mercedes. Video showed a Jeep following a black sedan into the Oheka parking area. The gunman can be seen getting out of the Jeep and shooting into Melius’ driver’s-side window.
Melius, who survived a bullet grazing his head, insists he has no enemies who’d want to kill him and has no idea what the motive was.
Queens-born Melius made his fortune in construction and is a longtime player in Long Island politics, contributing to both sides of the aisle.
Of the would-be killer, he shrugged, “It could have been someone I said something to years ago.” The Suffolk County Police Department declined to comment Thursday.
Melius said there was one benefit to the attempt on his life: “I had a problem with my vision in one eye, which they had told me could not be fixed. After the shooting, I was left with some glass in my left eye — they operated and now my sight is perfect. I am a very fortunate man.”
Melius, who says the 1920s-built Oheka Castle’s business in weddings and events continues to be strong, was spotted this week dining at Michael’s with DuJour’s Jason Binn. When staff brought them a kale salad, Melius, who isn’t fond of healthy food, sent it back, saying, “Tell the chef I’d rather be shot in the head again.”