SCHENECTADY - State Police are investigating a deadly encounter between a 34-year-old man who allegedly pointed a weapon, possibly a pellet gun, at two city officers, before being shot dead inside an apartment building Tuesday morning.

Police Chief Eric Clifford said during a Tuesday afternoon news conference that the incident began with officers responding at 8:11 a.m. to a call of a man and woman arguing and fighting inside a second-floor apartment at 780 Albany St. with music blasting to mask the dispute.

The address is at the Joseph L. Allen Apartments. Named in honor of the city’s first black City Council member, who died in 2015, the three-story building features studio and one- and two-bedroom apartments in the city’s Hamilton Hill neighborhood.

Clifford said the building superintendent, who went to see what all the commotion was about, told dispatchers that the man inside the apartment pointed a weapon at him.

After police arrived, a man pointed a gun out the door of the apartment into the hallway where officers were standing, Clifford said.

At that point, two officers fired shots, and the door closed, he said.

From there, officers ordered the man and woman inside the apartment to come out.

The woman complied and was taken into custody but the man did not come out despite verbal commands and efforts to contact him by phone.

The department’s tactical unit was called in, Clifford said.

‘‘We attempted to get some technology in there, both in the form of a a drone and a robot. We weren’t able to do either one, so we ended up sending officers in there, “ said Clifford. He said they used a key to get into the apartment.

The man, who Clifford identified as Michael Wallace, was treated on the scene by city firefighter paramedics and later taken by ambulance to Ellis Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

He said the two officers who fired their weapons, who have 8 years and 5 1/2 years on the force, have been placed on administrative leave, in keeping with department policy.

“They’ve been sent home with specific instructions on their well being,” he said. “We want to make sure they’re doing well themselves and then as the investigation progresses, we’ll look and see what we have, all the actions taken, and we’ll take it from there,” said Clifford.

Clifford said he spoke to the state attorney general’s office, which is empowered to investigate when police shoot unarmed people, and asked the State Police to take on the investigation.

“The Schenectady Police Department will cooperate fully with both agencies and any requests that they have,” Clifford said.

A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office said their office has been in communication with the Schenectady police and are collecting and analyzing the facts of the incident to determine whether it falls under their jurisdiction under the governor’s executive order.





Schenectady County District Attorney Robert M. Carney told the Times Union earlier in the day Tuesday that the man had a pellet gun modeled after a Glock.

Asked about the weapon, Clifford said the weapon was left inside the apartment and police as of Tuesday afternoon had not inspected it.

“It resembles a handgun to us, but we believe it may be a BB gun or a pellet gun, but that has not been confirmed yet,” he said.

Still Clifford said, he’s viewed “body worn camera (footage) and I’m comfortable with the actions that the officers took.”

“A gun is a gun, officers have seconds to make decisions, so if you point a BB gun at a police officer, it’s basically going to be the same thing as a real gun,” added the chief.

The woman who emerged from the apartment, spoke with police, and does not appear to have suffered any physical injuries, said Clifford.

She will most likely not face any criminal charges.

While the attorney general’s office can investigate police shootings that involve unarmed people, Carney said that office could still scrutinize the case if it is found that the man had a weapon.

“If they want to exert jurisdiction, it will be their investigation,” Carney said.

Mike Goodwin contributed reporting to this article.