An Albany Police officer shot a man in the leg on Sunday morning after they believed he was going to shoot at them.

It happened around 7:50 a.m. at 150 Third Ave. near Sloan Street, police said. 

Albany Interim Police Chief Brendan Cox said at a news conference that the incident began when a man around 20 years of age came into the South Station reporting that his mother’s boyfriend was threatening her with a handgun at her apartment.

Officers responded and were able to set up a perimeter to secure the area. They made contact with the suspect, 39-year-old Luis Rivera, and got him to come out of the apartments.

The woman and her children were able to get out, according to Cox.

Rivera refused to comply with officers’ commands. Cox said Rivera was very agitated and was going in and out of the apartment. At one point, Rivera raised his hands in a shooter stance as if he were holding a gun.

The police officer fired one shot, which did not strike Rivera, but hit above the doorway. Cox said Rivera did not lay on the ground or put his hands up. Instead, he moved to a different position.

“He made a decision again to get into a shooter stance and put his hands together as if he was pointing a gun at the officers and his girlfriend and her family,” he said.

The officer fired a second shot, striking Rivera in the upper thigh. He was treated on scene and taken to Albany Medical Center.

No one else was hurt.

“Thankfully he did survive,” Cox said. “Thankfully, the officers are OK.”

Rivera did not have a gun in his hand at that point, according to Cox, He believes he may have had a cell phone.  

“Certainly it appears that the officer believed his life and the life of his fellow officers and the life of the two victims of this domestic violence were in danger,” he said.

A search of the apartment did find a loaded gun, according to Cox.

Cox said one of the residents said that earlier Rivera had pulled the trigger, but the gun had not fired.

In addition, the woman told police that Rivera said he intended to have police take his life.

Rivera is on federal probation from a previous gun-related charge, according to Cox.  

The criminal investigation is ongoing, and Rivera will be facing charges related to the domestic incident and menacing.

Cox said his department has contacted the Attorney General’s Office to see if it wants to review this use-of-force incident.

The officer’s name is Daniel Blossom. He joined the force on April 1, 2022.

Cox said he wanted to release a portion of the body camera footage to alleviate people’s fears. He said that it shows that officers have to make split-second decisions.

“I think it’s pretty clear this morning that the officer believed that he had a handgun in hand,” Cox said.

Warning: Some people may find the body camera video difficult to watch.