Rochester police said they expect an officer who was shot in the line of duty early Friday morning to be released from Rochester General Hospital later today.
Police said that around 1 a.m., the officer stepped out of his patrol vehicle on Lake Avenue just south of Driving Park to "speak with a male" about another recent shooting in the city. As the officer approached him, the man pulled out a handgun and fired three shots toward the officer before running away.
The officer, who has been with the department for just over one year, was struck once in the lower body and applied his own tourniquet until other officer responded, provided emergency medical care, and drove him to the Rochester General Hospital in a police vehicle, according to the department. The officer's injuries were determined to be non-life-threatening. Police haven't released his identity.
Officers from several agencies responded to the scene, set up perimeters, and began searching for the suspect, according to Rochester police. Around 5 a.m. a Rochester Police Department drone picked up the heat signature of a person male in a pile of brush and debris behind a building on Lake Avenue.
Police said that when the drone shined its light on him, the man fatally shot himself. They added that the man appeared to match the description of the person who shot the officer. Police have not released his identity.
The department's Major Crimes Unit continues to investigate the incident.
