An off-duty Vermont officer was shot by police officers in Saratoga Springs, New York, on Sunday after refusing to put down his gun, police said.
The gunfire exchange occurred early Sunday morning at around 3 a.m. as police responded to a gunfight between the off-duty officer and a group of other men.
Vermont sheriff's deputy shot by cops in upstate New York following gunfight https://t.co/1SA1L4rN7U pic.twitter.com/EjxZnylNkU
— New York Post (@nypost) November 21, 2022
"The deputy was allegedly slammed into a parked vehicle and pushed to the ground by three people at the corner of Broadway and Caroline Street," the New York Post reported.
"He brandished a firearm as he brushed himself off and exchanged shots with another man in the group who was also armed. The two fired between seven and eight shots at one another, according to cops," it added.
The Rutland County Vt. Sheriff's office confirms the deputy involved in a shooting Sunday morning in Saratoga Springs is currently on paid administrative leave.https://t.co/vR4q6Gaauf
— CBS 6 Albany - WRGB (@CBS6Albany) November 21, 2022
The bodycam footage from the New York officers revealed the audio of officers calling for the off-duty deputy to put down his gun multiple times.
"As they make that turn what they see is the Vermont Sheriff's deputy standing on the sidewalk," Saratoga Springs Public Safety Commissioner Jim Montagnino says.
"His gun leveled and moving from side to side, pointing the gun. You hear the officers repeatedly, loudly, direct the deputy to drop the gun, get on the ground, again and again," WRGB-Albany reported.
The officer was shot 10 times, though it is uncertain whether any of the shots came from his other firefight.
The shooting marked the first time in several years that Saratoga Springs officers had discharged a weapon in the line of duty.
The concerning shooting leaves many unresolved questions that remain under investigation in the troubling incident.
Source: New York Post