Hamburg officer who fatally shot woman interviewed by attorney general's office

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Hamburg Police Department said the officer who fatally shot a Jamestown woman earlier this month after an altercation inside a residence remains on paid administrative leave while the attorney general's investigation remains ongoing.

Police said the officer is a six-year veteran of the department. He fatally shot a 36-year-old Jamestown woman, who police said was burglarizing a home on McKinley Parkway around 11 a.m. on Feb. 2. She also allegedly broke into a home on Willet Road and stabbed a person in a medical van on I-90 earlier that morning.

All fatal police shootings trigger an automatic investigation by the New York Attorney General. Hamburg PD said all three officers who initially responded to the burglary call were interviewed by the AG's office last week.

When police entered the residence, they found the woman inside the bathroom of the home, where the altercation ensued. During a Feb. 6 press conference, Hamburg police said she “resisted violently” when they attempted to handcuff her and she grabbed a penlight, making “stabbing and slashing movements” with the object and striking an officer in the leg and face. Partially due to the area being dimly lit, officers mistook the penlight for a knife.