One person is dead following a police-involved shooting Sept. 28 in the Town of Chemung.
The incident took place shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday when state troopers and a Chemung County Sheriff’s deputy responded to 176 Rotary Road in the town of Chemung for a reported active physical domestic incident, according to New York State Police.
An arriving trooper located a female victim being menaced in the living room, state police said. The suspect, identified as Nathan J. Novakowski, 18, of Chemung, was physically threatening the woman with a pair of scissors.
The trooper issued several commands for Novakowski to drop the weapon in an attempt to de-escalate the situation, according to state police.
Instead, Novakowski reportedly became increasingly agitated and attempted to stab the victim. The trooper, whose name is not being released at this time, then fired his service weapon to prevent imminent harm to the female, fatally wounding Novakowski, state police said.
The female victim sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene by Greater Valley Ambulance.
State police Troop E Public Information Officer Trooper Lynnea Crane said the name of a trooper involved in a shooting is typically released 48 hours after an incident.
The owner of record at 176 Rotary Road is Carol Vanzile, according to the Chemung County Real Property Tax Service.
Crane didn’t indicate the current status of the trooper involved in the Chemung shooting but said in such instances, there is no standard protocol. Instead, each situation is handled on a case-by-case basis, she said.
The incident remains under investigation by the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the New York State Attorney General’s Office, which is charged with independently investigating all police-related civilian deaths.
(This story has been updated with new information.)
Follow Jeff Murray on X (Twitter) @SGJeffMurray. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: State trooper fatally shoots 18-year-old domestic violence suspect in Chemung. What we know
Reporting by Jeff Murray, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
