Buffalo, NY (WBEN) - Buffalo police say a driver stopped for excessive speed and tinted windows took off after a routine traffic stop, taking an officer with him a third of a mile before being fatally wounded just after midnight on Wednesday.
In a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said the driver was also pulled over with a 6-year-old child in the front passenger seat of the vehicle, who was not wearing a seatbelt.
According to Gramaglia, the driver of the vehicle did not have a valid driver's license, but was able to present a Georgia ID on his phone. However, the officer could not find any validation of the ID shown.
When the officer and a backup officer asked the driver to step out of the vehicle, the driver appeared to comply, but then drove about a third of a mile with the officer, allegedly, holding on to the top of the door frame of the vehicle when accelerating.
The officer pleaded with motorist to stop, saying, "You're going to kill me" multiple times while hanging on with the vehicle reaching speeds of up to 60 mph.
Gramaglia further says the driver appeared to try and kick the officer off the side of the vehicle. That was about when the officer fired his weapon at the vehicle.
Both the driver and officer tumbled out of the vehicle, at one point, with the car eventually coming to a stop at a slow speed on a curb.
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After shooting the driver, the officer quickly sprinted to the passenger side door and pulled the child out of the vehicle. The child was secured, and unharmed as a result of the incident.
The backup officer ended up getting in the driver's seat of the patrol car and quickly followed the vehicle in pursuit.
The driver ended up laying in the area of Kensington and Wyoming when the backup officer caught up to check on the condition of his fellow officer. Gramaglia adds first aid was immediately administered to the driver by responding officers, while ambulatory services were called in for.
The driver was transported to Erie County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Gramaglia says a search warrant was issued for the car Wednesday afternoon, where police found a loaded 9mm handgun located under the driver's seat.
The car was also found to not be registered to the deceased motorist.
Buffalo Homicide will be showing the video to the family.
The officer involved the shooting suffered minor injuries, was treated at ECMC and later released. Gramaglia noted the experience was traumatizing and scary for everyone involved.
"Just looking at the footage, had it gone any other way, the officer could’ve been killed," said Gramaglia.
He also noted the traffic stop appeared to be a routine and friendly exchange with no indication of something like this happening.
The State Attorney General will be investigating further into the case.