The New York Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation into the fatal shooting of a 62-year-old man by an Onondaga County sheriff’s SWAT team member following an hourslong armed standoff Sunday at an Elbridge mobile home park.
Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley identified the man Monday as Frederick Marty, who had barricaded himself inside his residence at Rolling Hills Mobile Home Park on Route 5. The Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation said deputies were called shortly before 6 p.m. Aug. 23 after a 911 caller reported someone had fired a gun at a parked vehicle.
Shelley said a responding member of the Sheriff’s Office confirmed shots had been fired. At least one vehicle was struck by gunfire, and a juvenile who was inside suffered a minor injury that did not require hospitalization.
Shelley said investigators believe the juvenile may have been hurt when a bullet struck something inside the vehicle and caused it to move.
Authorities evacuated surrounding homes and established a perimeter around Marty’s residence while attempting to communicate with him.
Shelley said deputies tried several methods to make contact, including a megaphone, cellphone and drones, but were unsuccessful. The sheriff’s SWAT team arrived around 8 p.m.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, deputies broke a window around 11:30 p.m. and used a drone to see inside the mobile home.
Investigators said Marty raised a long gun and pointed it at deputies. One deputy fired a service weapon, striking him.
Marty was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities recovered a long gun from the property.
Shelley has not disclosed how many shots the deputy fired or identified the SWAT team member involved. He said drone footage captured the fatal encounter and will be reviewed as part of the investigation.
Authorities are still working to determine why Marty was allegedly firing from his residence before the standoff began.
The Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation formally opened its investigation Monday under New York Executive Law Section 70-b.
Under that law, OSI assesses incidents in which a police or peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused a person’s death through an act or omission. The law applies regardless of whether the officer was on or off duty, whether the person who died was armed or unarmed, or whether that person was in custody.
If OSI’s initial assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, the office conducts a full investigation.
The Attorney General’s Office stressed that its account of the Elbridge shooting remains preliminary and could change as the investigation continues.
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