A late-night emergency call about an assault at an upstate campsite ended in a fatal shooting when a trooper killed 45-year-old Amir Hamza.
New York State Police officers rushed to the Whip-O-Will Campground in the hamlet of Purling shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Monday.
Dispatchers sent officers to the Cairo location after receiving reports that two men were engaged in a physical fight.
Upon arriving at the scene, troopers found one man suffering from a noticeable head injury from the fight.
The injured man pointed troopers toward a camper on the lot, identifying it as the spot where Hamza was located.
Officers approached the camper, knocked on the door, and announced “State Police” to whoever was inside.
Hamza opened the door and walked out toward an officer, holding what looked like a black handgun pointed at the trooper.
A trooper moved out of the way, pulled his service weapon, and fired at Hamza.
Troopers tried saving Hamza with CPR and a defibrillator, but emergency responders declared him dead at the scene.
State investigators later discovered that the weapon Hamza pointed at troopers was a black pistol-style BB gun, and the New York Attorney General’s Office is now running a full investigation into the shooting.
Leave a Reply