POUGHKEEPSIE – State Police
have released the names of the state trooper and man who he shot and killed
in Stanfordville on Tuesday.
Trooper Kevin Wolensky fired two shots at Jaime Lopez, 41, of Stanfordville
when Lopez made an aggressive movement toward Wolensky and another trooper.
Police had responded to a report of a menacing incident outside the Coyote
Flaco Restaurant on Route 82 in Stanfordville around 11 a.m.
Trooper Katherine Gorey encountered Lopez standing next to the driver’s
door of a vehicle occupied by a woman. He was said to be intoxicated and
armed with a knife.
Wolensky arrived soon after and attempted to communicate with Lopez to
determine what was happening.
During the interaction, Lopez failed to follow verbal instructions from
the troopers and when he made an aggressive move toward them, Wolensky
fired his weapon.
Lopez was transported to MidHudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie where
he later died.
The woman in the car was uninjured.
The investigation is continuing and the State Police have been in contact
with the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office and state attorney
general’s office.
An internal administrative investigation is underway by the State Police
Professional Standards Bureau. Anyone with information on the case is
asked to call the State Police at Salt Point at 845-677-7300.
