New York Attorney General Letitia James has opened an investigation into an incident involving a man who was struck and killed by an off-duty Monticello Village Police Department (MVPD) officer.
The New York Attorney General’s Office says the man was struck by an off-duty MVPD officer in their personal vehicle around 6:03 a.m. on Nov. 25 while crossing near the intersection of Pleasant and High Streets in Monticello.
But Monticello Police Chief David Lindsay told Radio Catskill the incident actually occurred at 6 p.m. and at mid-block—not at an intersection.
The man was transported to a local hospital and later pronounced dead on Nov. 30.
Both the officer involved in the crash and the person who was killed has not been identified, but Monticello Police Chief Lindsay said that the officer involved is not working at this time.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased,” said Lindsay. ”The police [department] stands behind the officer as we await the findings in the investigation of this terrible accident.”
Lindsay, who says he was on the scene, immediately turned the scene over to the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, and reported the incident to the New York Attorney General’s Office per state law.
Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, the Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI) assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. The OSI will conduct a full investigation if it’s determined that the officer may have caused the death.
Radio Catskill reached out to Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office for additional information.
Image: Sirens of police motor vehicle (Photo Credit: Yildiray Yücel Kamanmaz from Pixabay)