NASSAU, NY — State Police arrested a Nassau man on multiple weapons charges after he allegedly shot himself and falsely reported being shot by an unknown individual.
Steven T. Lang, 41, of Nassau, was arrested April 17, 2026, and charged with five counts of criminal possession of a weapon 3rd, a class D felony; tampering with physical evidence, a class E felony; conspiracy 4th, a class E felony; 10 counts of failure to safely store firearms 1st, a class A misdemeanor; six counts of criminal possession of a weapon 4th, a class A misdemeanor; conspiracy 5th, a class A misdemeanor; and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor.
Joseph Burnett, 54, of Nassau, was also arrested April 17, 2026, for falsely reporting an incident 3rd, a class A misdemeanor.
State Police responded to reports of an individual with a gunshot wound outside a home in Nassau at 10:34 p.m. March 20, 2026.
On arrival, Lang was located with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the leg.
Lang reported that an unknown individual had been in the wooded area behind the residence and shot him while he was in the driveway.
A search of the surrounding area was negative for any individuals or evidence of another individual’s involvement.
The investigation determined Lang had accidentally shot himself in the presence of a child under the age of 16 and falsified the report of another shooter’s involvement.
Lang was found to be in illegal possession of multiple firearms, all of which were stored unsafely.
Ten firearms were seized.
Lang cannot legally own or possess firearms due to multiple previous felony convictions.
During the course of the investigation, Burnett allegedly knowingly provided false information to troopers.
Lang and Burnett were arrested in Sand Lake and transported to State Police Schodack for processing.
Both were arraigned at the Schodack Town Court.
Burnett was released on his own recognizance.
Lang was remanded to the Rensselaer County Correctional Facility without bail.
