CORTLANDT – A Croton-on-Hudson man, armed with a gun, who held police at bay for 12 hours while inside a house on Quaker Bridge Road in the Town of Cortlandt on Wednesday afternoon, shot two Westchester Police Department officers. Neither suffered life-threatening wounds. Both were treated and released from a local hospital.
During the standoff, the man, identified as Christopher Pesavento, 50, had fired several rounds at police, who were attempting to convince him to peacefully surrender.
Shortly after midnight on Thursday morning, an officer was able to determine Pesavento was dead. No members of law enforcement fired their weapons, but used less than lethal methods in an attempt to force a peaceful surrender.
The cause of death is pending investigation by the Westchester Medical Examiner’s Office.
The State Attorney General’s Office responded to the scene.
State Police as well as Westchester officers were on the scene, attempting to convince the armed man to give up.
