KINGSTON – A man who threatened to shoot himself after an Ulster County Sheriff’s deputy arrived at the man’s Wiltwyck Gardens apartment on Albany Avenue in the City of Kingston is facing felony charges after a brief standoff on Wednesday morning. The incident which resulted in a brief closure of Albany Avenue, began at approximately 11 a.m.
According to the sheriff’s office, a deputy arrived at the man’s residence to enforce a court-ordered eviction of the man from the premises. The deputy observed that the tenant still had property in the dwelling and allowed the man a few minutes to gather his belongings before vacating. As the deputy waited for the man to collect his items, the subject grabbed a handgun from one room and entered the bathroom, telling the deputy that he was going to commit suicide. The man refused to comply with the deputy’s commands to drop the weapon and refused to exit the bathroom, forcing the deputy to radio for assistance.
Members of the sheriff’s office responded to the scene and were joined by officers from the City of Kingston Police, the Town of Ulster Police, and the New York State Police. The standoff resulted in a brief closure of Albany Avenue for public safety as law enforcement negotiated with the barricaded man. After approximately 30 minutes, the subject surrendered without further incident.
The man was transported to the sheriff’s office where he was processed and charged with felony criminal possession of stolen property and the misdemeanors of reckless endangerment and obstruction of governmental administration. He was issued appearance tickets for a future court date and transported to HealthAlliance Hospital Broadway campus for a mental health evaluation and treatment by hospital staff.
Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa noted that the handgun used in the standoff was later determined to be a stolen weapon. Additional firearms were recovered from the apartment and sheriff’s detectives are investigating the ownership of the additional weapons.
