Man shot by Albany police back in court

Jordan Young, the man shot by Albany police last year, was in court Monday to determine if police legally stopped him the night he was shot.

Young is accused of charging at an officer with what police believed to be a knife. Police said Young ignored their commands, so they shot him.   

Alice Green, the executive director from the Center for Law and Justice, said Young was suffering from a mental health crisis. He’s diagnosed as bipolar and schizophrenic. Green said the morning the incident took place, the father of two was simply taking his dog out for a walk.

“They could have used other means to control him if they felt they had to,” she said. “They had pepper spray, they could have done that.”

Green said it’s still not clear why police stopped Young.

“Jordan Young did not fit the description of the person they were looking for. So that really complicates it more, and the community does not understand that. So why did they stop him? That’s the key question,” she said.

Young is charged with menacing a police officer and attempted aggravated assault upon a police officer.

In an effort to get Albany County District Attorney David Soares to drop the charges, the Center for Law and Justice will hold a candlelight vigil outside the Soares’ office on Jan. 24 at 4 p.m. They’ve gathered more than 1,000 signatures so far from concerned citizens supporting their demands.

“He hurt no one, he has mental health issues,” Green said. “The community will be very anxious to talk more about this, and we’re very concerned that Jordan, if convicted, could go to prison and his health suggests that he could not sustain in prison.”

Green said since the shooting, Young has had 22 major surgeries and lost a significant amount of weight.