Police Chief Says Shooting "Unavoidable," Followed Training
By: Caroline Tucker
Updated: June 21, 2012
Rochester Police say seven officers involved in a shooting that killed a man in Rochester were justified in their actions.
Police were called to Locust Street before 7:30 this morning.
Police said a man had a gun and fired at them.
On Thursday afternoon they released the details of their preliminary investigation of the officer-involved shooting.
Neighbors and friends expressed outrage at the scene of the shooting.
Many initially claimed that Andino only had a bb gun; police revealed that he had a loaded long-gun at the time.
Some said they felt that the police actions were not justified.
It was Israel Andino's 20th birthday on Thursday.
But Rochester police
say Andino he called 911 this morning to say he had stabbed his mother and
planned to go in the street and hurt others.
Police say they showed up to his Locust Street
home at 72 Locust Street.
They said they found his mother Carmen Baez with several stab
wounds to her head.
They said she told police her son was responsible and found him walking down
the street with a loaded long gun.
They say initial efforts to talk Andino into putting the gun down did not work
and they had to use deadly force when they say the man fired first.
A total of seven officers were involved in the incident, including two sergeants and five officers, ranging in experience from 8 years to 19 years of service.
The chief said they had tried
"With this individual, he attempted to employ a less lethal option, a taser. This option was ineffective and their subsequent actions were unavoidable, however they were consistent with their training," said Chief Jim Sheppard, Rochester Police.
Mayor Tom Richards characterized today's shooting as a tragedy for the officers involved and the family.
"The relevant question that will be investigated as all these things are is, 'What was reasonable under the circumstances when they were confronted with clearly deadly force?" said Mayor Tom Richards.
Police said Andino was currently on probation.
Mayor Richards and Chief Sheppard expressed their condolences to the family of Israel Andido.
His friends in the neighborhood described him as a good guy who had a troubled past but was working on improving his life.
It's unknown what led to the initial domestic dispute between Andino and his mother.
Baez has since been released from Strong Hospital.
