ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — A man was shot and killed by Orchard Park police after allegedly lunging toward officers with a knife on Friday night.
Questions remain as the department has released very few details about the shooting.
Police provided an update on the shooting over the weekend, but no additional details have been released.
7 News has learned that there won't be any body camera video of the shooting because the Orchard Park Police Department doesn't use body-worn cameras. The department is one of just a handful in Erie County that doesn't have a police body cam program.
But they could. Three years ago, Assemblyman Pat Burke helped secure a $125,000 grant from the state that would have reimbursed the department if it purchased the body cameras and software for the program.
The town conducted a study in 2021 through Hilbert College that found that nearly three-quarters of residents believed that a body-worn camera program would improve transparency and trust in law enforcement.
In the meantime, the state Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation will handle the probe into the shooting. The office handles all incidents of deadly encounters involving law enforcement.
The AG's Office released a statement on Tuesday evening which said in part:
"The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI) has opened an investigation into the death of a civilian who died on August 30, 2024 following an encounter with members of the Orchard Park Police Department (OPPD) in the town of Orchard Park."
