Staff reports;

An off-duty Rochester police sergeant who shot an intruder at his home on South Avenue Monday, only to discover that the man was his visiting friend, was suspended with pay as police continue to investigate.

Sgt. Anthony Bongiovanni, a member of the Rochester Police Department for about 18 years, was alarmed by someone in his home at about 5:30 Monday morning. Using his personally owned handgun, he shot the apparent intruder in the torso, Interim Police Chief Michael Ciminelli said at a news conference Monday afternoon.

But Bongiovanni quickly realized the man bleeding was his friend, Chuck Andrews, who had let himself in with a key Bongiovanni had given him. Bongiovanni immediately called 911 and began first aid.

Andrews, 51, of South Carolina, was listed in guarded but stable condition at Strong Memorial Hospital on Monday evening.

Bongiovanni was suspended with pay as the investigation continues, Ciminelli said. Whether Bongiovanni will be charged in the shooting will depend on that investigation and discussions with the prosecutors, he said.

An upstairs neighbor at the home at 436 South Ave. also called 911 to report a burglary in progress, Ciminelli said.