Man shot, killed by Greece officer in mall lot

A man sought by police as part of a missing persons investigation was shot and killed on Monday by a Greece police officer following a confrontation in the parking lot at the Mall at Greece Ridge.

Greece Police Chief Patrick Phelan said officers had been looking for a man reported as missing when they spotted a person who matched the man's description inside a car in a parking lot near the Sears store around 3 p.m.

Phelan said as officers approached the car, "some kind of altercation" ensued and the man was shot.

The man, whom he described as a male between 20 and 40 years of age, was armed with a handgun, Phelan said.

Officers did not sustain any injuries, Phelan said. The man who was shot died of his injuries.

Greece police Sgt. Jared Rene, the department's public information officer, identified the officer involved in the shooting as Eric Hughes, who has been with the department for nearly 15 years. Rene said Hughes also previously served two years with the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.

He said it is likely that Hughes will be placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Phelan said the identity of the man who was killed will not be released until all family members have been identified.

A portion of Long Pond Road remained blocked off Monday evening for the police investigation, and traffic in the vicinity of the mall was difficult to navigate most of the afternoon and into early evening because of the incident.

A video was posted online Monday afternoon that was purportedly recorded in the minutes following the shooting. However, Rene said that while police were aware the video had been posted, they had no way to authenticate it and therefore would not provide further comment.

Wilmorite, the company that runs the mall, released a statement late Monday afternoon: "We are cooperating with the Greece Police Department regarding this incident. This was an isolated, unfortunate occurrence. Mall shoppers and tenants were never in any danger as the incident was quickly contained in the overflow lot, at the Southwest end of the property. Our thoughts go out to the families of everyone involved."

TCLAUSEN@DemocratandChronicle.com

MCDERMOT@DemocratandChronicle.com

Includes reporting by staff writer Mary Chao.