Albany Police say an officer was shot early Wednesday while conducting a traffic stop. The department says it happened around 12:30 a.m. in the area of North Main Avenue and Western Avenue.
The police officer and the suspect exchanged gunfire. They were both taken to local hospitals for treatment. Authorities say the suspect is dead and the officer is recovering well. Neither individual was immediately identified.
Mayor Kathy Sheehan says after Police Chief Eric Hawkins reviewed body camera footage, it is “clear the officer was ambushed in an act of depraved gun violence.”
"My thoughts are with the officer as he is being treated by the medical professionals at Albany Medical Center, as well as his family and the entire Albany Police Department," Sheehan said in a statement. "No one - especially not a public servant literally doing their job - should be forced to bear the trauma of an incident like this. In the coming hours and days we will do everything possible to ensure this officer's speedy recovery and help those around him."
An investigation is ongoing.
