A Rochester, N.Y., police officer was shot dead after the policemen exchanged fire with a suspect, Wednesday.
The officer, whose details were not released, was taken to Rochester General Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.
The Associated Press reports that the officer was shot just before 9:30 p.m. during a shootout with a suspect following a chase, Rochester Police Chief Michael Ciminelli said. He said that the suspect was injured and in surgery early Thursday and an onlooker suffered non-life threatening injuries.
New York State Police and Monroe County Sheriff's deputies are also helping with the investigation. Rochester City Council President Loretta C. Scott released a statement mourning the officer's death. "The City Council would like to offer our sincere condolences to the family of the RPD officer that was killed this evening while on duty. Our community owes a debt of gratitude to this officer who ultimately gave his life protecting and serving our city," the statement read.
"We ask that you keep the officer's family, and the officers of the RPD in your thoughts and prayers as they, and our community as a whole, mourn this tragic loss.
According to Time Warner Cable News, this is the first incident of on duty death of a Rochester police officer since 1959. Patrolman Harold V. Shaw was shot and killed December 11, 1959. He was inspecting a burglary on Ambrose Street. Two people, Edgar Dewey and Morris Warlow were convicted of first degree murder and were jailed in Attica Prison, according to the reports.
