POUGHKEEPSIE – City of Poughkeepsie police are seeking witnesses to an incident in which a victim claims to have been shot in the buttocks.
On May 17 at 2:26 a.m., City 911 received a call reporting a person shot in the area of 69 Spruce Street, near Delafield Street. The caller told the dispatcher that the shooting had occurred 20 minutes earlier in the area of Mill and North Clover Streets.
Responding officers found a highly intoxicated 35-year-old Bronx man reporting he had been walking along near Mill and North Clover Streets when suddenly he realized he was shot in the buttocks, causing him to fall and hit his head.
The victim was transported to MidHudson Regional Hospital where he was treated for his injuries. Medical personnel reviewed x-rays of the patient’s rear-end and determined that no bullet was inside his buttocks. The medical staff was unable to say if the victim had been shot or had suffered some other type of injury to his buttocks.
According to Detective Lieutenant Matthew Clark, an examination of the victim’s pants found that there was no hole to indicate a bullet had passed through the clothing. When asked about this apparent inconsistency, the victim stated “I didn’t pull a gun,” and became uncooperative.
Police investigating the incident say witnesses in the area were also intoxicated and could provide no information to assist in the investigation.
This incident remains under investigation. Anyone who may have witnessed what happened is asked to call the City of Poughkeepsie Police at 845-451-7577.