The man shot by a Rochester police officer Monday night allegedly tackled and beat the officer before fighting him for his handgun, Chief David Smith said Thursday.
Body-worn camera and surveillance footage released Thursday shows the as-yet-unnamed officer responding to an alert of multiple shots fired on Seventh Street. The officer arrived on the scene at 10 p.m. Monday and noticed a gray pickup driving away from the area, according to police. The footage shows the officer chasing the truck in his patrol car.
Once the truck came to a stop on First Street, the officer got out of his car and started chasing a man, drawing his Taser at some point. The video shows the officer entering a backyard with his stun gun pointed outward, ordering the man to show him his hands.
The footage then shows the man jumping on the officer, at which point the footage goes black and what exactly happens is unclear. A buzzing can be heard as the officer groans in pain. The Taser had gone off and fired into the ground, the wires making contact with the officer and burning him, according to police.
The man can be heard shouting before five distinct shots ring out. He was hit once by the officer’s gunfire, police said.
At a news conference Thursday, Smith elaborated on the circumstances surrounding the shooting. He said the officer was on the ground and the man was beating him on the head and fighting him for his gun when the officer shot him. The officer was later treated for a concussion and for the burns from the Taser wires.
The wounded man, who police have not identified, was transferred to Strong Memorial Hospital. Smith said officers found a .38 caliber revolver in the truck he was driving, and another pistol was found in the First Street home’s driveway. He added that officers found 100 grams of suspected cocaine in the man’s pocket.
“I’ve been in that backyard, there’s no ambient light in that backyard at all, pitch black,” Smith said. “Close your eyes for a second, pitch black, now picture yourself with your eyes closed, on your back, fighting for a handgun.”
On Wednesday, Councilmembers Kim Smith, Stanley Martin, and Mary Lupien issued a statement criticizing the shooting.
“The news of yet another young man shot while fleeing an RPD officer has unfortunately become all too familiar in our city,” the statement read. “This is not normal — it is unacceptable, and we reject all efforts by the RPD to make our community believe otherwise.”
The statement called for an independent investigation by the Rochester Police Accountability Board. On Thursday, the PAB confirmed it was launching an inquiry into the incident.
In response, the Rochester Police Locust Club called for the city administration and other Councilmembers to denounce the statement.
"The statement made by members of City Council is disgusting, vile, and dangerous to not only our members but to this community,” the statement reads. “To have elected officials stand in support of criminals who attack and try to kill police officers is unconscionable.”
Smith, the police chief, said the investigation into the shooting is ongoing and further details will be released in coming weeks.
