Late night on Monday, September 25, a police call for shots fired in the city near Seventh Street led to a police chase until the suspect crashed the truck he was driving. He ran from the officer, which led to a foot chase with one officer pursuing the suspect. According to the Rochester Police Chief David Smith report, the officer chased the suspect into a dark backyard in response to the call for the multiple shots fired. The suspect allegedly ambushed the officer from behind, leading to a struggle involving the officer’s Taser and handgun. During the fight, the officer’s gun was discharged five times with one bullet striking the man. The suspect and the officer were hospitalized for injuries. RPD found a .38 caliber revolver in the truck the suspect crashed, another pistol in the driveway near the truck, and 100 grams of cocaine in the suspect’s pocket.
Prior to any video footage being released from the body camera and the nearby cameras, three members of the Rochester City Council issued a statement to criticize the injured officer’s actions.
Councilmembers Kim Smith, Stanley Martin, and Mary Lupien issued a statement that read in part: “The news of yet another young man shot while fleeing an RPD officer has unfortunately become all too familiar in our city. This is not normal – it is unacceptable, and we reject all efforts by the RPD to make our community believe otherwise.”
Rochester Police Locust Club called the councilmembers’ statement “disgusting, vile and dangerous. To have elected officials stand in support of criminals who attack and try to kill police officers is unconscionable.”
The Monroe County Association of the Chiefs of Police issued a statement denouncing the rush to judgment criticism from the councilmembers. The statement was signed by 10 local chiefs of police, including Chief Travis Gray of Ogden Police and Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter. (See letter that follows this article.)
“What happened to innocent until proven guilty?” asked Chief Travis Gray of Ogden Police. “This officer was fighting for his life in the pitch-black back yard with a suspect who had guns and drugs, and elected officials were so quick to rush to judgment against the officer before facts or footage were released,” said Gray.
Chief Gray’s concern is that this type of culture is feeding a divide that the law enforcement community is trying hard to close by building relationships in their communities. “By the elected councilmembers being so quick to judge and make accusations publicly before having any facts, only further divides the community from the law enforcement who is there to protect them,” Gray said. “Police need to have the same benefit of the doubt that everyone else gets and not be accused and tried in the media.”
According to Chief Gray, the officer did exactly what he was trained to do in trying to keep the neighborhood safe. “It is clear based on their statements, the three city council members are anti-police and quick to support the gun yielding, drug dealer who assaults an officer and not their police.”
Chief Gray has 15 years of law enforcement experience and has been at the Ogden Police Department for 11 years. He became chief last year.
Statement from the Monroe County Association of Chiefs of Police
As law enforcement professionals, there is a common understanding that no matter how long you have been on this job, when you think you have seen it all, you haven’t. The latest statement by three Rochester City Councilmembers in the aftermath of a perilous incident wherein a police officer had to fight for his life while protecting the City of Rochester certainly fits that mold and lowers the bar to new levels.
The basic facts that led to this incident are missing from the Councilmembers’ statement. In addition, there is no mention of the citizens who suffer daily from the actions of people like this “young man” including the shootings and other violent crime plaguing neighborhoods all the while endangering the lives of this community. Just watch the news to hear residents pleading for help – that their neighborhoods are not safe, and this is the response of government leaders? We understand it is a small group, but the silence from the others is deafening.
Of course, there was no mention of the police officer who responded to the shots fired call and found himself fighting for his life, seconds later, alone in a dark backyard. This young officer was doing his job to protect city residents from the lawlessness that these legislators both support and enable with their reckless, extreme behavior over time. This is just the latest example. It must be rejected outright. Not by some, but by all who seek to live a decent, peaceful life.
We think it is important, as chief executives, and for all police agencies in this region, to take a stand and call out these individuals for their words and actions. All police officers have been, and continue to be put at an even greater risk by anti-police sentiment, espoused by some in government.
We support the men and women of the Rochester Police Department, particularly the officers involved in this incident, and all local and regional law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line every day!
David Catholdi, Brighton Chief of Police
Michael Wood, Greece Chief of Police
David Smith, Rochester Chief of Police
Dennis Kohlmeier, Webster Chief of Police
Michael Brandenburg, East Rochester Chief of Police
Matthew Barnes, Fairport Chief of Police
Travis Gray, Ogden Chief of Police
Scott Peters, Irondequoit Chief of Police
Robert Long, Gates Chief of Police
Todd Baxter, Monroe County Sheriff
