Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - A Buffalo police officer was shot on Tuesday after officials responded to a domestic dispute call on Sherman Street in the city's East Side neighborhood near Broadway. The officer is being treated for his injuries at Erie County Medical Center and is listed in stable condition.
According to Buffalo Police commissioner Erika Shields, officers responded to the residence at 256 Sherman Street at around 2:15 p.m. after the suspect's wife allegedly made the call to police asking for help, and saying her husband had locked her in a room, taken her phone, had a pistol, and had threatened to sodomize her.
"The officers responded to the location, and upon arrival, they found the suspect in the kitchen area. The suspect was acting in a very agitated manner," said Commissioner Shields during her press briefing Tuesday evening. "They gave him repeated verbal commands to come out of the house, because he had his back flush against the wall, and so there really wasn't any room to negotiate. The subject was unwilling to come out of the kitchen area, the officers went in in an attempt to get him into custody."
After a level of grappling occurred, Shields says the officers were trying to get handcuffs on the suspect, but he was combative and very resistant.
"The officers ended up getting one handcuff on him, but he had a concealed weapon on him and they didn't see it. Next thing you should know, gunshots rang out, an officer was shot multiple times, and fellow officers returned fire," Shields noted.
Both the officer and the suspect were transported to ECMC, where they both are recovering from their gunshot wounds. Shields notes the police officer was struck multiple times - in the legs, as well as the shoulder and arm area.
"The officer was hit several times, and is best listed in stable condition. I believe his surgery will be scheduled for tomorrow," Shields added. "And the suspect was still in surgery when I last checked in."
The incident all unfolded within a timespan of about a minute, according to Shields.
She adds the department is in the process of securing warrants to search the house, as it was rumored there were other guns the suspect may have owned. The investigation at the residence could continue for several hours at the residence of Sherman Street.
Shields believes it was one of the family members that opened the door and allowed officers responding to the scene to try and intervene.
"It was somewhat of a language barrier, so I'm not entirely sure what, I believe would be, the father was saying. But they clearly wanted the police to come in and address what was occurring with their son," Shields noted. "He was just doing a lot of yelling. As for the female, she was in a back room, she wasn't in the picture. But they were they're invited in by, I'm assuming, his parents."
Shortly following the incident, Shields did manage to see the veteran officer of nine years on the force.
"He was in a great deal of discomfort. He's got surgery before him, but he was alert and speaking, so we're very grateful for that," she said.
"Everybody just said he is the nicest guy and has nothing bad to say about anyone. He is constantly upbeat. So there was a lot of emotion around him as an individual."
Commissioner Shields admits she's grateful that no one was tragically killed as a result of this incident.
"One of my jobs as commissioner is to help the community understand that every day, men and women face these split-second decisions, and things seem to be going right and they can go south so quickly," she said.
"The officers are very lucky."
During a late afternoon news conference Tuesday, Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan addressed what lead to the situation.
"Buffalo police officers were responding to a domestic trouble call on Sherman. That call was updated to include the threat of a gun," Ryan had said of the incident. "A responding officer was shot multiple times. Officers returned fire, striking the shooter. Both the officer and shooter were transported to ECMC to be treated for their injuries."
"The officers are very lucky" - Buffalo Police commissioner Erika Shields
"The officers are very lucky" - Buffalo Police commissioner Erika Shields
