Watervliet

A standoff Friday night in Watervliet ended in the arrest of Michael J. Fox, 49, on charges of killing his neighbor, Brandon T. Sherwin, 29.

The slaying took place in Fox's home, 2320 4th Ave. in the city, Watervliet, acting Watervliet Police Chief Lt. Mark Spain said, adding that officials had not yet determined a motive.

Spain disclosed some details about the standoff at a news conference Saturday evening at City Hall. The investigation into Sherwin's cause of death is ongoing.

At about 9 p.m. Friday, police responded to reports of shots fired at the 2300 block of 4th Avenue, police said. When two officers entered the building, they saw "shotgun projectile" in the common hallway of the two-family residence, and sought cover, Spain said.

A tactical team tried to negotiate with Fox, talking to him over a megaphone and public address system, Spain said, and Fox shouted back at officers.

The team entered the building and found Sherwin dead. Spain said he did not know how Sherwin died.

The standoff lasted several hours before Fox's arrest. Fox now faces charges including murder, menacing and criminal possession of a weapon. After medical evaluation he was taken to the Albany County jail without bail.

Spain said he did not believe Fox had an extensive criminal history.

"I can understand based on the sounds and the motives that were used last night, that it could be alarming for any members of the public, but I can assure the public that there was never any outside threat to public safety," he said. "We were totally confident that the people we were looking for were inside that building."

Sherwin's body remained inside the home late Saturday morning, and an Albany County coroner was at the scene awaiting the removal of the body as investigators probed the scene for forensic evidence.

"It's a tragedy – you don't want this stuff happening, but when it does, you want it dealt with as quickly as possible, as efficiently as possible and as safely as possible," Watervliet Mayor Mike Manning said Saturday evening.

Manning said the city police department was fortunate to be able to call in other departments to help respond to the initial report.

Bethany Bump contributed to this story.