POUGHKEEPSIE – City police, fire, and EMS responded to the area of 472 Main Street on Saturday night for a report of a male with a gunshot wound. First arriving officers located the male was a gunshot wound to his torso. An MTA police unit also responded to assist the city cops. The shooting occurred at approximately 10:20 pm.
The crime is believed to have occurred in the vacant lot immediately east of the Kennedy Fried Chicken restaurant.
City of Poughkeepsie firefighters triaged the man before he was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.
The fire department remained on the scene with the tower ladder truck to provide scene lighting for police during evidence collection.
Due to the severe staffing crisis in the police department, a communication was sent to all officers after the shooting, asking if they were able to come to work. It was unclear if any officers agreed to come in to assist in the investigation, perform crime scene processing, or other duties. The contract between the PBA and the city requires 96 sworn officer positions. The city is losing officers to retirement, military duty, and injuries at an alarming rate and there are currently less than 70 officers available to work, which is the lowest amount of staffing in 30 years.
The shooting is under investigation and police are asking for anyone with information to call the City of Poughkeepsie Police confidential TIP LINE at 845-451-7577.
