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Albany’s new Community Police Review Board will investigate Jan. 24 police shooting of 32-year-old

 Jordan Young with his dog Shep.
Provided by the Young Family.
Jordan Young with his dog Shep.

The Albany Community Police Review Board will investigate the January 24th police shooting of a city man.

Tuesday’s vote was unanimous:

"The CPRB will be investigating the officer involved shooting of Jordan Young," said Board Chair Nairobi Vives, who presided over the meeting as the panel decided to launch an independent probe into the shooting of Jordan Young.

Officers responding to a 9-1-1 call spotted Young walking his dog along New Scotland Avenue. They claim he was holding a knife to the dog's neck, then charged at them. Body cam footage shows Young ignoring calls to drop the knife before the shooting.

Board member Victor Person said "I did see the video. And I think I could have seen maybe two different versions if I'm not mistaken. And so I just have questions to them, which I presented to them at the time. And they kind of explained that they were still investigating, and waiting on results of forensics, and stuff of that nature. So I just have questions about why did after the alleged shooter, why did the video turn off? Just normal? It was all for a good 30 to 60 seconds. And so I just have that question and a question of why two very young police officers who neither one was on the job more than 10 months," said Person.

Young was shot three times in the torso, and remains hospitalized at Albany Medical Center. The mayor and police chief say the shooting was justified. Center for Law and Justice Executive Director Alice Green said earlier this month she believes the police set up the crisis that led to the shooting.

“Once you set up a crisis situation like that, you know, things happen," Green said. "And they were not prepared to deal with it."

Green contests much of what police have released about Young’s shooting and the events preceding it.

Board members including Zach Garafalo expressed interest in digitally recreating a timeline of incidents that culminated in the shooting... "...including location data from any devices in Mr. Young's possession, associated 911 calls and location data," said Garafalo. "Location data from body worn cameras, cruisers for all officers involved. Data from tasers and body worn cameras, the time the target officer fired the rounds and also the time the officer deployed the taser, surveillance footage from private and public cameras in the vicinity. More info on the knife Mr. Young allegedly possessed including chain of custody reports. Also, what applicable Academy field training exercises and ongoing training did those officers and officers in general receive in defensive tactics, street survival skills, decision making and implicit bias, stop question and frisk, officer wellness and emotional survival, and specifically nighttime firearms training and nighttime. close quarters hand to hand combat. Also, you know, I think we need an explanation about the glitch in the body worn camera footage.”

Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins reacted in a statement emailed to WAMC:

"The Albany Police Department has and will continue to be open and transparent regarding the recent officer involved shooting. We welcome any independent investigations be it by a special prosecutor, the New York State Attorney General's Office or the Albany Citizen Police Review Board."

The board's investigation will focus on whether the use of force was justified.

 Albany Police bodycam video.
Albany Police Department
Albany Police bodycam video shows Jordan Young with his dog Shep.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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