BUFFALO, N.Y. — Two Northeast District Buffalo Police officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, after an officer-involved shooting on the city's East Side.
Placing officers involved in such incidents on paid administrative leave is the normal course of action according to department policy, pending an internal affairs investigation, which will then be reviewed by the Erie County District Attorney.
According to sources, investigators are reviewing both the footage of body cameras worn by the officers involved, as well as footage obtained from the home security cameras mounted on the outside of a home near where the incident occurred.
Traffic Stop Takes on a Sudden Change
The incident occurred at around 10:40 p.m. Sunday on Northland Avenue near the intersection of Lonsdale Road.
Police say the 30-year-old suspect got into an altercation with the officers during a traffic stop. It was during that altercation that the suspect was shot. According to a statement by Buffalo Police Captain Jeff Rinaldo, a gun was recovered at the scene.
The suspect was immediately taken to ECMC with non-life threatening injuries, and has since been released. However, the suspect whose name has not been released, is in custody on a separate parole violation.
Charges are still pending in Sunday night's incident.
According to a source the suspect emerged from the rear seat of the vehicle during the traffic stop and was not the driver.
Officers on Paid Administrative Leave
It was unclear as of Monday evening whether one or both officers fired their weapons.
According to a police source this information may not yet even be known to police brass because under the terms of the police labor contract, when an officer involved shooting occurs, the officers involved are not required to speak to their superiors about what happened until after they meet with their union representatives.