A Dunkirk man with prior federal convictions is facing new charges after authorities say he shot a police officer and triggered a hours-long standoff during the execution of a search warrant tied to a drug investigation.
Christopher Marcinkowski, 39, has been charged by federal complaint with maintaining a drug-involved premises and being a felon in possession of a firearm, offenses that carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
According to prosecutors, the incident unfolded March 24 when law enforcement executed a search warrant at a Franklin Avenue residence in Dunkirk. As officers moved in, Marcinkowski allegedly fired two rounds from a firearm, striking one officer.
A standoff followed that lasted several hours, during which Marcinkowski told a police negotiator that he had shot the officer. He later surrendered without further incident.
Authorities said the investigation began in February, when the Drug Enforcement Administration assisted local agencies in probing Marcinkowski’s suspected drug trafficking activities. Evidence collected during the investigation included plastic baggies with cocaine residue found during garbage pulls at the residence.
After the standoff ended and the home was cleared, officers seized approximately 197 grams of suspected psychedelic mushrooms, about 11 pounds of marijuana, three firearms, roughly $30,000 in cash and drug paraphernalia.
Marcinkowski has a history of federal drug and firearm convictions, including cases in 2013 and 2021 related to cocaine distribution.
He is scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court on April 8.
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