Troy officials issue statement about reports of shots fired

In a joint statement on Saturday afternoon Troy Mayor Patrick Madden and Police Chief Daniel DeWolf said significant police response to shots fired in the area of Congress and Third Streets on Friday evening is part of the city’s plan to deter violence in the city. The statement was released on the City of Troy and Troy Police Department (TPD) social media accounts.

They said the swift but sizable response was because of increased police presence in that area of the city. Congress and Third Streets are in the middle of the downtown area a block from the Troy Public Library and two blocks from Russell Sage College.

Madden and DeWolf said there were no injuries or damage reported from the incident. DeWolf told NewsChannel 13 calls for reports of shots fired started at around 8:40 p.m.

Below is Madden and DeWolf’s full statement:

"On Friday evening, Troy Police received reports of shots fired in the vicinity of Congress and 3rd Street. Officers were already in the vicinity as part of on-going police efforts in this area, and they responded quickly to secure the surroundings. There were initial reports of a shooting victim, but after further investigation that was determined to be an erroneous report. There were no injuries, no damage reported. The Troy Police Department will continue to investigate the area.

We know that the police presence last evening was significant, but that is because this administration and our police department take reports of shots fired and gun violence seriously. Over the last few months, TPD and the mayor’s office have coordinated to pour additional resources into this area. We are now beginning to see some success from those efforts.

While we are relieved that there were no injuries or damage reported, more will be done. We remain committed to working with our community partners to increase and adjust our efforts in this area."