Off-Duty Sheriff's Deputy Shot By Police After Refusing To Drop Gun

An off-duty sheriff's deputy from Vermont was shot by police officers in New York on Sunday (November 20). The Saratoga Springs Police Department said that deputies were nearby when they heard gunshots and rushed over to the scene.

The officers found the off-duty deputy holding a gun and ordered him to drop the weapon and get on the ground. The man ignored their commands, and they opened fire, striking him at least ten times.

Body camera footage showed an officer running around a corner after hearing multiple gunshots. He screamed, "drop the gun," numerous times before officers opened fire.

"By my count, there are at least eight separate, clear, unequivocal commands to put the gun down and get on the ground," Saratoga Springs Public Safety Commissioner James Montagnino said at a press conference. "They are all ignored."

The man, who was not identified, was rushed to the hospital and is in stable condition.

Officials said the incident started as a verbal dispute between the off-duty deputy and a group of men. The argument quickly escalated as the group slammed the deputy into a parked car. He then pulled out his gun and exchanged gunfire with one of the men.

The deputy's girlfriend and one of the men in the group were injured in the initial shooting.