OSWEGO, NY – At approximately 8:42 a.m. today (March 19), Oswego City Police responded to a report of a 55-year-old man, possibly armed with a handgun and suicidal, in the area of 101 State Route 104 East.
Responding officers located a witness and developed further information which led to the location of the suspect’s vehicle, in the Price Chopper parking lot.
The vehicle was occupied by the suspect, who refused verbal commands from officers.
Oswego City Police, assisted by the New York State Police and Price Chopper staff, closed down the parking lot and directed Price Chopper patrons to remain inside the store while the situation was remediated.
The suspect continued to refuse verbal commands and attempts at negotiation.
Credible information developed by responding officers led police to believe the suspect was in possession of a weapon and that he was possibly a danger to himself or others.
Acting on that information, police forcibly broke a window to the vehicle, deployed a Taser and subsequently subdued the suspect, successfully taking him into custody.
A handgun was recovered from within the vehicle.
The suspect was arrested under section 9.41 of the Mental Health Law, and transported by the Oswego City Fire Department to Oswego Hospital for evaluation.
Oswego City Police Chief Michael J. Dehm Jr. stated, “I am extremely pleased and grateful to all of my responding personnel, as well as the New York State Police and Price Chopper staff, for their exceptional handling of this incident, which was extremely volatile and could have ended tragically.”
