Two Rochester police officers are on paid leave pending an investigation by the New York State Attorney General's Office after fatally shooting a man on Ernestine Street Thursday evening.
Police said officers shot the man after he pulled out a handgun and refused to drop it.
The department has not yet released the name of the deceased, described only as a man in his late-30s, nor the names of the officers involved. Body-worn camera footage of the incident is expected to be released pending confirmation of the man’s identity by the Monroe County medical examiner's office and notification of the family.
Chief David Smith, having seen the footage, said he believed the officers acted professionally.
“Based on everything I saw last night, everyone involved in this responded exactly the way they were trained in a highly professional manner,” Smith said. “Medical aid was rendered immediately. The officers were calm and cool on the radio. Officers responded from around the city to help manage the scene, as they often do.”
The shooting followed three separate calls to the department complaining of a man acting erratically on the street, a single-block strip between Thurston Road and Genesee Park Boulevard. The first call came in at 5:23 p.m., alleging the man had walked onto the deck of a house and was going to door acting suspiciously, police claim. Officers arrived at the scene but were unable to locate him.
The next two calls came in about two hours later, one reporting that the man was trying to get into an occupied car, and another saying he was sitting on the hood of a car. Police claim officers arrived and had a short scuffle with the man after he refused to stop walking. An officer tried to tackle him but was unsuccessful.
Police claim the man kept walking away before allegedly turning around and pulling a handgun from his hoodie pocket. He purportedly ignored several requests to drop the gun before the officers opened fire. Smith described the man's demeanor as "non-verbal."
He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. Officers recovered a Palmetto State Armory 9mm handgun from the scene, loaded with 13 rounds.
Smith said the man was known to the Police Department but declined to offer further details.
In attendance at the Friday news conference was Lesli Myers-Small, executive director of the Rochester Police Accountability Board . She said she has not seen the body-worn camera footage.
State court rulings have blocked the Police Accountability Board from disciplining police officers or investigating claims of police misconduct. The latter ruling is currently being appealed by the city.
“I was here today really as a community member,” Myers-Small said. “To listen and to hear up close and personal the aspects of the case.
“We cannot, due to the court ruling, investigate individual complaints. But I think what's critical is the community perspective. Certainly, if there is a need to do any listening sessions with the community. If there needs to be rebuilding of trust or to get this community actively involved, we certainly can be involved with that.”
