In light of the recent shooting that happened in Port Jefferson village early Saturday morning, local officials said an increase in police presence and an extension of code officers’ hours will begin immediately.

On June 19 at 1:56 a.m., shots were fired in the parking lot of the bar located at 109 Main St.

Two men, a 22-year-old and a 20-year-old, were hit, causing serious injuries.

According to Fred Leute, village chief of code enforcement, code officers were getting ready to end their shift at 2 a.m. when they heard the sound of gunshots.

Leute, along with three other officers, ran to the scene where one of the code enforcers used his belt to create a tourniquet for the man whose leg was severely injured by the bullet.

“We realized he was going downhill quickly,” Leute said.

Two of the officers tended to one victim, while the other two brought the man with the leg wound to the Stony Brook Trauma Center.

At the time of the shooting, the village’s Suffolk County Police Department Whiskey Unit was at Mather Hospital with an individual they transported there earlier for a medical condition.

Since the two Whiskey Unit officers were tending to another person, village officials have decided to have code enforcement extend their hours until 6 a.m. and will increase their police presence Down Port.

On Tuesday, June 22, trustee Kathianne Snaden and Mayor Margot Garant spoke with SCPD 6th Precinct Inspector Patrick Reilly to request more officers patrolling the village. They also spoke to Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) and a representative from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) office.

“After speaking with Legislator Hahn, Inspector Reilly and the governor’s office, and exploring all avenues of enforcement, we can confirm that we will have an increased Suffolk police presence in the village,” Snaden said.

Additionally, the village has extended code hours until 6 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays to keep an eye on the popular local bar scene post-COVID.

“We are taking a zero-tolerance stance on establishments serving alcohol to minors,” Snaden said.

Garant said during Monday’s board of trustees meeting that she was “deeply disturbed” by the incident.

“But we’re grateful that the two young men are still with us,” she said.

Garant added that this type of behavior will not be tolerated in the village.

“We are working with all our state agency partners to bolster police presence, enforcement and proactive measures to prevent underage drinking at our establishments,” she told TBR News Media on Tuesday. “We are committed to doing what we can as a village and local authority.”

While the investigation is still ongoing, just 30 hours after the incident, 20-year-old Port Jefferson Station resident Ethan Ladd was charged with two counts of assault in the first degree, a felony.

He was arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Monday, June 21 and released on $25,000 bail.