The chief of police in Albany, New York, said a police officer was “ambushed” by a driver who shot him in the leg as he approached a vehicle following an attempted traffic stop and returned fire, killing the man.
ALBANY, New York — An Albany, New York, police officer was “ambushed” by a driver following an attempted traffic stop Wednesday morning and was shot in the leg before returning fire, killing the man, said the city’s police chief.
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, being ambushed while carrying out a routine part of their duties,” he said.
The officer had seen a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed around 12:30 a.m. and there was a short pursuit, but the vehicle did not stop and he stopped following, Hawkins said. Shortly after, the officer saw the vehicle parked along a road.
The officer approached the vehicle, Hawkins said. He was about 5 feet from the car when the man, who was out of the car, “emerged and immediately shot at the officer and struck him,” Hawkins said.
The officer immediately returned fire, Hawkins said. The names of the officer and the man have not been released.
Hawkins said he watched the footage from the officer’s body-worn camera. “There’s no other way to describe it than an ambush,” he said. “This officer was doing exactly what he was supposed to do.”
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said at the news conference that there were indications the man “is someone with a troubled past, not necessarily criminal.”
She said she was grateful she was able to talk to the officer.
“This was not what he expected today on his shift,” she said.
ABC News
