BREWSTER – A Putnam County Sheriff’s Department investigator is back at work after suffering back and shoulder injuries when struck by a vehicle after an encounter in the Town of Southeast, late last month resulting in the officer being forced to shoot a man, yet information surrounding the incident remains shrouded.
The incident unfolded around 8:35 p.m. when the undercover narcotics investigator was conducting an investigation along Sodom Road in the vicinity of the Henry Van Motel. According to reliable sources, as the investigator and other deputies attempted to stop the suspect, the person allegedly tried to flee in a Toyota bearing Connecticut registration and struck the veteran cop.
The investigator fired his weapon during the confrontation, striking the unidentified suspect who was admitted to Danbury Hospital.
Sheriff Brian Hess requested that members of the State Police assume the “lead role in the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.”
The State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation at Brewster was assigned the case.
However, on Wednesday Troop K State Police Public Information Officer Trooper Krystal Paolicelli reported the investigation had been turned over to the FBI and the Putnam County District Attorney’s Office.
A inquiry sent to District Attorney Robert Tendy was answered with a brief statement: “Unfortunately, I am unable to comment on the facts of the case at this time as the incident remains under investigation.”
A non-committal response was also received from the New York Public Affairs Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “Per longstanding DOJ policy, we cannot confirm or deny the existence or nonexistence of any investigation.”
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