Albany police investigating officer-involved shooting
Albany police are investigating an officer involved shooting that occurred early Monday morning on New Scotland Avenue.
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Police received a 911 call around 12:50 a.m. reporting an apparent armed home invasion in the 100 block of Morris Street, with someone being held at gunpoint. Officers were told that people ran out the back and one was running across rooftops.
A short time later, officers driving on New Scotland Avenue near Dana Avenue spotted a man in a parking lot and stopped him as part of the investigation.
As the officers approached, they noticed the man was holding a knife in his hand and put it at a dog’s throat, while yelling at officers. Police say the officers ordered the man to drop the knife several times. They say the man instead released the dog, and sprinted aggressively toward the officers.
That’s when one of the officers shot the suspect in the torso. The chief says a Taser may have also been used at the scene.
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An ambulance quickly took the suspect, a 32-year-old man from Albany, to Albany Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition.
Three officers who were at the scene of the shooting were also sent to Albany Med per department protocols. One was treated for a dog bite to the arm. The other two were not injured.
Police Chief Eric Hawkins says he’s seen the body cam video of the incident.
"My initial assessment is that this is an appropriate use of force," he said at a news conference later in the morning.
Hawkins went on to say the shooting remains under investigation. The police department been in contact with the district attorney’s office and the state attorney general’s office. He says one of those offices will conduct an independent investigation in addition to the police department’s internal review.
The officer who fired the shot is on administrative leave. That’s standard procedure for officer-involved shootings.
It’s unclear whether or not the man who was shot had any involvement in the home invasion.