Wife: Cops acted too quickly in shooting


The wife of a Clifton Park man who was shot by State Police Tuesday night thinks troopers could have been able to resolve the situation without shooting the man.

My colleague Paul Nelson reports:

She acknowledged police work is inherently dangerous and that cops are often forced to make split-second life or death decisions. Still, she stressed that the violent confrontation could have ended peacefully.

“They yelled, ‘Put the gun down, put the gun down.’ There were two shots and then my husband said, ‘OK, OK,” she said. “I believe the altercation could have been avoided if they came in a non-threatening way, he would have handed over the gun.”

Capt. Timothy Munro with the State Police BCI, the plainclothes detective branch of the agency, said Wednesday that the troopers tried to de-escalate a fast-moving, potentially dangerous situation in a densely populated residential area. He declined to elaborate and would not disclose how many shots were fired or how many times Douglas Stewart was hit, saying those details would be make public in coming days.

Tonya Stewart suggested the troopers could have tried to negotiated with her husband or perhaps had a psychologist on standby to talk with him, especially because he doesn’t have a criminal record and is a “professional man who has always provided very well for his family.”

Read the full story here.

Categories: General
Bryan Fitzgerald

46 Responses

  1. SJK says:

    The State Troopers did the right thing. This man had a gun outside in a residential area, and he was “upset.” The truth is, the Troopers may well have saved his life (or someone else’s) by stopping him as they did.

    Bottom line..If the police tells you to drop your weapon, DO IT or face the consequences.

    I hope Mr. Stewart can now get the help he so obviously needs.

  2. Laurie says:

    “He was a professional man that always provided well for his family”. I completely fail to see how that statement is relevant to this story! So was O.J. Simpson and look where that got Nicole.

  3. Snapdragon says:

    In a situation like this there is one stark reality: point a firearm at a police officer and the best you can hope for is survival.

    Now, let’s address the comments that are sure to follow, both here and on a related blog:
    (1) police are NOT trained to “wing” the person, nor are they allowed to fire warning shots. Their target is “center mass”.
    (2) not all police officers carry Tasers.
    (3) Tasers and pepper spray have a limited range and are affected by wind speed.
    (4) body armor will not stop most rifle bullets.
    (5) you weren’t there, so think carefully before venting on a blog.

  4. Andy says:

    If that is what the Sheriff calls ‘densely populated’ I wonder what he calls a city block in Schenectady or Albany. Most people would NOT call that street ‘densely populated’

    It does appear that the deputies may have acted a bit too quickly.

  5. mav says:

    Is she for real? Did she want her darling husband to take a shot at the Troopers before they acted? He was lucky he was not shot in the chest or head.

  6. polish power says:

    The wife needs to understand that a professional man who has always provided very well for his family, that is holding a loaded gun is just as dangerous as a gangster or anyone else holding a loaded gun. Maybe “SHE” should have negotiated with her husband before calling 911, if she thinks he was not dangerous. What is she doing . . . looking for a lawsuit?

  7. Ness114 says:

    Should read – “Wife: Husband should have dropped the gun when police told him to.”

  8. ann says:

    I agree and disagree with her.

    Yes, the cops could have handled without shooting. The guy wasn’t a threat and I don’t believe his gun was pointed at them or anything.

    She should not have called the cops though. If cops are in the vicinity and you have a gun, drop or risk being shot. Cops aren’t counsellors or social workers; which is basically what she wanted them to be.

    You call the cops and tell them your husband is outside with his gun as is dispondent, at the very least he’ll be arrested. He’s lucky he’s not dead! She should have known this.

  9. Get Real © says:

    Officers “acted too quick”? Perhaps her husbnd should’ve slowed down and weigh the possible consequences of his decision to carry a loaded rifle around.

  10. mike from saratoga says:

    the statements made by the wife are incredibly stupid.i won’t waste time explaining why.yes,its a normal situation for state troopers to have a pyschologist in the back seat of the car.yes doctor”give us your most esteemed assesment of the patient/weapon holder before we have to shoot him.this woman does not live in the real world.her husband is lucky he is not dead.he needs mental health counselling,actually they both do.lastly had the weapon toter had been a minority there would have been the rev al sharpton leading a riot/law suit.

  11. Bamster says:

    Since when is it illegal to stand on your own properly with a rifle? Nowhere am I reading this man pointed the gun at the cops or anyone else. Cuomo’s SS needs to go back to what they do best – writing speeding tickets on the Northway.

  12. CP Retiree says:

    I don’t see anywhere in the story that the rifle was pointed at either of the two the troopers. The guy was supposedly…”holding it.” Anyone know in what manner?

    There are a lot of what-ifs and could-haves here, but I think it’s important to consider the amount of time that elapsed — between the DSP greeting, and Mr. Stewart’s “OK, OK.”

    “…those details would be make (sic) public in coming days.” Looking forward to that.

  13. Andy says:

    I 2nd that Bamster. If the gun was NOT pointed at the deputy why did they shoot so quickly. What crime was being committed. How much time did they give him to drop the gun. The officer will of course say he asked a couple of times and gave him enough time But the wife says it was immediate, drop the gun bang bang!! Two sides to every story.

  14. SJK says:


    You know what? There it is. There was no time for hand-holding. it was early evening in a residential neighborhood. I live in an adjacent neighborhood…There are a number of people out including children throughout the day. The police acted to protect all. The wife herself admits he was “despondent” and had a gun. The decision on what to do had to be made quickly. If Mr. Stewart had shot and killed himself (or someone else) in that front yard the issue would have been “the police didn’t act fast enough.”

    VERY good to know the Troopers are there and do what needs to be done. We don’t have a Town police force. But I have always felt safe because of the backup we have through the SP and Sheriff’s Dept. They should not be facing criticism in this case.

  15. Jango Davis says:

    Meanwhile, The NY Post reported today a cop was acquitted of murder for shooting a guy who flushing pot down a toilet. They said he thought his life was endangered.

  16. Eoin says:

    Above sounds like an unhappy motorist who got captured doing 76 in a 65 on the north way.

  17. Mark says:

    No one on this blog was there so all we can do is provide theories as to what would we have done.

    I think Barnster said it best, it is not illegal to have a gun on your own property especially out in the suburbs where this took place. Secondly, he never pointed the rifle at the police couldn’t they attempt to talk him out of it. How long of a time frame was it when the trooper told him to put the gun down and he was shot, seconds or minutes?

    Yes before taking someone’s life I think a little due diligence is required, and yes I know I am not a cop, I do not put my life on the line evryday etc etc.

  18. ann says:

    #11 Since his wife called the cops and reported him. (Such a bad move!)

    They are obligated to show up and when cops arrive and you have a gun, well you get shot.

    Could they have not shot him? Probably, but I wasn’t there and the article isn’t descriptive.

  19. RicardoJamel says:

    They shouldn’t just shoot that quick, for any reason. They can normally withdraw to safety to assess the situation…Especially with suicidal people. It was reported he was not aiming it at the police, he was probably contemplating suicide. It is an epidemic in today’s empty world.

    However, as far as the consequences, I certainly would be very hesitant to call police unless I had to. We know they instantly kill the family dog when they show up and the dog barks at them. Modern police training is all about keeping the cops safe first and putting down any “perceived” threat, even a 95 year old man in a nursing home was killed when police showed up. The term is “coming on strong” or “coming in heavy.” It is what they now do. We aren’t talking the lawmen of yesteryear to serve and protect.

  20. Robert H says:

    @ Bamster it became illegal when the nut job democraps took office.

  21. countrygirl says:

    geez Robert H–seriously? give your politics a rest dude. let’s all agree (or disagree) that this is a seriously questionable situation and it won’t be made any clearer until and unless the wife, or law enforcement, details exactly what the issue was that initiated the 911 call and what made the guy arm himself in his own yard…

  22. Frankyt says:

    You people are out of your minds!
    #11 then # 17 for agreeing. Illegal to hold a rifle on your front porch, maybe not but when your wife calls saying he’s despondent then he doesn’t respond to their commands. Somebody was going to call the police. Tell me you wouldn’t call the police if your neighbor was in the front lawn with a rifle.

    What people fail to realize is that suicide can become homicide Ina split second. You are not trained to shoot a person holding a gun unless there is a belief they may shoot you. The paper doesn’t need to say it I will. HE DID NOT DROP THE WEAPON WHEN DIRECTED TO DO SO. HE MADE A MOVE THAT CAUSED THE OFFICER TO BELIEVE THAT HIS LIFE OR SOMEONE ELSE WAS IN DANGER! PERIOD!!!!

    Jango: Go ahead and bring up a case from NYC, these 2 stories have NOTHING in common. Continue to be a cop hater as you always do. Do all of us a favor, when you really need them DON’T CALL, handle it yourself.

  23. Tango says:

    Omg, what world are we in here? It was a ‘bad move’ for her to call the police about her husband with a gun? Call AFTER he kills someone maybe?
    Another says ‘none of us were there’ and THEN says ‘ he never pointed the gun at police’ ….but none of us were there so how can you even say that?
    Police do not come to your house to get shot. If you don’t want them there then don’t call them.

  24. Abby says:

    Robert H. your response makes you look like a nut job! Has nothing to do with politics. Still legal to carry a loaded gun on your property.

  25. Jango Davis says:

    Bryan Fitzgerald: I think approving Robert H’s comment violates the Times Union policy regarding posting ad hominem comments.

  26. Get Real © says:

    You people are ridiculous. How many of you defending this lame-brain offer such support to “thugs” and “gangstas” who are put down by police officers in urban areas?

    So the suburbanite was exercising his 2nd Amendment rights. But all the urbanites are “criminals”.

    *eyes rolling out of my head and across the floor*

  27. Retired Police Officer says:

    If an individual is holding a firearm and is told to drop it and he does it, and subsequently decides to raise the weapon and start firing it – the police will not be able to disable the individual before he would be able to fire off several shots.

    If told to drop a firearm and you don’t, the prudent thing for police officers to do is neutralize the threat, which of course means shooting the suspect.

    It’s unfortunate, but that’s what has to happen.

  28. John Wells says:

    Sounds to me like the wife is angling for a civil suit. Next time she should just call a psychologist to deal with her husband when he goes off the deep end with a gun.

  29. JustJack says:

    Perhaps the wife called the police too quickly? Who knows her husband better than her?

  30. Cucujuju says:

    I don’t care what the police do since they keep me safe from the gun nuts. It is time that only the authorities have guns, and I support the police no matter what.