Current:Home > ScamsOfficer shot before returning fire and killing driver in Albany, New York, police chief says -AssetLink
Officer shot before returning fire and killing driver in Albany, New York, police chief says
View
Date:2025-04-14 14:10:41
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A police officer in Albany, New York, was “ambushed” by a driver following an attempted traffic stop early Wednesday and was shot in the leg before returning fire, killing the man, the city’s police chief said.
The officer was hospitalized at Albany Medical Center and was alert and conscious, Police Chief Eric Hawkins said at a news conference outside the hospital.
“We just experienced one of an officer’s worst nightmares, and that is being ambushed performing a routine part of their duties,” he said.
The officer had seen a speeding vehicle about 12:30 a.m. and there was a short pursuit, but the vehicle didn’t stop and he stopped following it, Hawkins said. A short time later, the officer saw the vehicle parked along a road.
The officer approached the vehicle, Hawkins said. He was about 5 feet (1.5 meters) away from it when the man, who was out of the car, “emerges and immediately fires shots at the officer and strikes the officer,” Hawkins said.
The officer immediately returned fire, Hawkins said. The names of the officer and the man were not released.
Hawkins said he looked at footage from the officer’s body-worn camera. “There’s no other way to describe this but an ambush,” he said. “This officer was doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing.”
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said at the news conference that there are indications that the man “is somebody with a troubled history, not necessarily a criminal history.”
She said she was grateful that she was able to speak to the officer.
“This was not what he expected to happen today during his shift,” she said.
veryGood! (119)
Related
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- NFL Week 17 winners, losers: Eagles could be in full-blown crisis mode
- Peter Magubane, a South African photographer who captured 40 years of apartheid, dies at age 91
- Why Sister Wives' Christine Brown Almost Went on Another Date the Day She Met David Woolley
- 3 years after the NFL added a 17th game, the push for an 18th gets stronger
- Mexican actor Ana Ofelia Murguía, who voiced Mama Coco in ‘Coco,’ dies at 90
- Bowl game schedule today: Breaking down the five college football bowl games on Jan. 1
- 135th Rose Parade boasts floral floats, sunny skies as California tradition kicks off the new year
- Your Wedding Guests Will Thank You if You Get Married at These All-Inclusive Resorts
- Jennifer Love Hewitt Says She Experienced Hardship “No One Knew About”
Ranking
- Family of explorer who died in the Titan sub implosion seeks $50M-plus in wrongful death lawsuit
- Green Day changes lyrics to shade Donald Trump during TV performance: Watch
- Sparks Fly as Travis Kelce Reacts to Taylor Swift's Matching Moment
- Remembering those lost on OceanGate's Titan submersible
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- Taylor Swift dethrones Elvis Presley as solo artist with most weeks atop Billboard 200 chart
- Former NBA G League player held in woman’s killing due in Vegas court after transfer from Sacramento
- Carrie Bernans, stuntwoman in 'The Color Purple,' hospitalized after NYC hit-and-run
Recommendation
Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
South Korean opposition leader is attacked and injured by an unidentified man, officials say
Fiery New Year’s Day crash kills 2 and injures 5 following upstate NY concert, police investigating
Turkey detains 33 people suspected of spying on behalf of Israel
'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
Are Kroger, Publix, Whole Foods open New Year's Day 2024? See grocery store holiday hours
Nick Saban says adapting to college football change is part of ongoing success at Alabama
Green Day changes lyrics to shade Donald Trump during TV performance: Watch