New York

Police Release Video Showing Middletown Officer and Gunman Exchanging Bullets

The gunman has been identified as 29-year-old Desean Owens of the Bronx, police said

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Police in New York's Hudson Valley region on Tuesday released a surveillance video that they say show an officer exchanging gunfire with a man following a domestic dispute over the weekend.

Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler and Middletown Police Department said officer Evan Barone was on a patrol when he was flagged down by a woman outside a Middletown home shortly after 7:30 p.m. Saturday. it. When Barone pulled over, the woman told him that her ex-boyfriend came over uninvited, and he was refusing to leave. She then added that he was armed with a gun, police said.

A man then emerged from the woman's home onto the front porch and fired his gun, police said, striking Barone in the left forearm. The 26-year-old officer returned fire, hitting the man in the lower extremities and head. The surveillance video released by cops Tuesday shows part of that exchange with what appears to be the woman running away from the crossfire.

Police say Barone treated his gunshot wound and the injuries of the man, later identified as 29-year-old Desean Owens of the Bronx, before paramedics arrived to take them to the hospital. Both of them were in stable condition Tuesday.

Investigators say they found a loaded Taurus 9mm handgun at the scene with 16 rounds of live ammunition inside. The weapon was not legally possessed by Owens, police said.

Owens was charged with Attempted Murder in the First Degree, Criminal Use of a Firearm, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon.

DA Hoovler said state Attorney General Letitia James was notified of the shooting pursuant to an executive order signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo directing that certain police shootings be investigated by the attorney general's office.

Hoovler said he spoke to an assistant attorney general, who agreed that the Orange County district attorney’s office should continue its investigation.

“The Orange County district attorney’s office is committed to ensuring that a transparent investigation is conducted into this matter,” Hoovler said in a statement earlier this week. “Now, more than ever, it is essential that those who illegally use weapons are held accountable and it is equally important that the public has confidence in the integrity of the investigation and the prosecutorial process.”

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