MAN SHOT IN AQUEBOGUE POLICE RAID

An early morning drug raid in Aquebogue went awry Friday when a New York
State Police trooper shot and killed a 27-year-old man who was one target
of an investigation into a marijuana and cocaine ring, law enforcement
officials said.

The shooting at 12 Overlook Drive came seconds after two State Police
troopers with guns drawn entered John Rasanen's dark basement bedroom at
about 6 a.m. Friday, police said. Rasanen was in bed with a woman when the
troopers stormed inside.

"He was sleeping," said Maj. Walter Heesch, commander of the State Police
on Long Island. "They announced they were coming in, he was awoken, and
despite repeated commands announcing that they were police and to lie down,
he lunged toward the trooper, who was armed, obviously, and this resulted
in him being shot once in the chest, causing his death."

Rasanen died on the spot. Investigators later found a loaded automatic
handgun that they believe was Rasanen's behind a television within feet of
his body. Heesch said Rasanen was not moving in the direction of that gun,
however, and he did not know whether Rasanen was attempting to grab the
trooper's gun, a 9-mm semiautomatic pistol.

State Police would not release the identity of the trooper who fired at
Rasanen or the names of the four others, three women and a man, who were in
bed at the house at the time of the raid.

Detectives from the State Police's Bureau of Criminal Investigation and its
Albany-based Internal Affairs Bureau were combing the house and
interviewing witnesses Friday. They will submit their findings to the
Suffolk County district attorney's Office when the investigation is
complete and a grand jury will likely be asked to determine whether the
shooting was justified, officials said.

The state penal law says a police officer may use "deadly physical force"
against someone only if the officer "reasonably believes" the person is
committing or attempting to commit certain felonies, threatening to use
"imminent" physical force against someone else, or if the officer believes
it is "reasonably necessary" to use "deadly physical force" to defend
himself or someone else against the "imminent use of deadly force."

The raid in Aquebogue Friday morning began simultaneously with three others
in Riverhead, Hampton Bays and Middle Island as part of what police said
was a six-month joint narcotics investigation conducted by the State and
Suffolk County police. At the three other locations, seven people were
arrested and two more were being sought, said Suffolk Chief of Department
Philip Robilotto.

Rasanen's only drug conviction was a misdemeanor for cocaine possession for
which he received 3 years' probation, according to court records. But
Heesch said he was a "mid-level" narcotics distributor of late. "He was
doing substantial weight," Heesch said. Armed with arrest and search
warrants, officers from State and Suffolk police began with a briefing at 5
a.m. Friday, then dispersed to the four homes. Twenty of them went to the
split-level house on Overlook Drive that Rasanen was renting.

According to Heesch, the events transpired this way: Eight officers from
State Police's Mobile Response Team walked up to the front door, announced
they were coming in, and used a battering ram to enter. Four went upstairs
and four downstairs, he said. Upstairs, a man and a woman were sleeping in
two different rooms. Downstairs, a sergeant and a trooper found a woman
sleeping in a living area.

Two other troopers entered Rasanen's bedroom, where they found him and a
woman. Rasanen sprang up, Heesch said, and the shooting occurred.

"It's very quick," Heesch said.

Heesch said all four raids were linked as part of the ongoing investigation
of East End drug sales. All four of the state cops in the room during the
shooting are being questioned about the incident. "There are a lot of loose
ends to tie up," Heesch said.

Police and sheriff's deputies also raided 10 Birch Court in Northampton,
where Rasanen's parents, Leroy and Peggy, live and where John Rasanen has
lived in the past. Daniel Rogers, a Riverhead attorney who said he was
representing Rasanen on "minor traffic violations," said police seized a
car and two motorcyles from the house.

On Overlook Drive, three or four police cars blocked the road most of the day.

Rogers came to the scene and complained to reporters that police had lied
to him when he asked about the victim. Rogers said Rasanen's parents had
called him around 8:30 a.m., because they heard something about someone
getting shot on the radio. "They heard a rumor he was injured," Rogers said.

Rogers said State Police at the Hampton Bays barracks told him Rasanen was
under arrest and refused to show him the arrest warrant. He said he called
Rasanen's family members and told them he was not hurt. Then, he said, he
went to the scene and learned that Rasanen was dead.

"On behalf of the family, what happened is an absolute tragedy," Rogers
said. "The police refuse to talk to us. The police are indicating, by their
conduct, that they have something to hide... "

Heesch said he couldn't comment on Rogers' complaint because he was still
gathering information about Friday morning's events.

Neighbors in Northampton said Rasanen, who had three brothers, had attended
Riverhead High School but did not graduate. Kenneth Harris said Rasanen was
a good friend of his son, Kenneth Jr., and both loved riding motorcycles.
Rasanen had both a dirt bike and a Japanese high-performance motorcycle.
Sometimes he would pay Rasanen to cut down trees.

"He was a good kid. He never bothered anyone," Harris said. "I can't
believe it. He kept his hair short. He was a clean-cut kid."