More Information Released In Police Involved Shooting at Hudson Valley Home
A grand jury announced their ruling following a horrific scene where a police chief was shot and multiple shots were fired at a Hudson Valley man who later killed himself.
On Monday, an Orange County grand jury declined to file charges against a Town of Montgomery police officer who fired his weapon in the direction of a man who shot at police officers as they were trying to arrest him in May
On May 16, police responded to a domestic incident on Abbey Lane in Maybrook.
During the interview with the suspect, 28-year-old Anthony Bostick from Maybrook, there was an exchange of gunfire and Maybrook Police Chief Arnold “Butch” Amthor was struck in the left shoulder.
A Town of Montgomery officer immediately returned fire, multiple times, but did not hit Bostick. Bostick later committed suicide by shooting himself in the head, before police could take any further action.
In order to ensure public confidence in a fair investigation, the District Attorney’s Office previously released portions of the recordings of a police worn body-camera.
The District Attorney’s investigation revealed:
- On May 16, 2017, the Town of Montgomery Police Department received a walk-in complaint regarding a domestic altercation on Abbey Avenue, in the Village of Maybrook. The complaint identified Anthony Bostick as the suspect initiating the altercation with his girlfriend.
- After police responded, Bostick refused to leave his apartment, after he was advised of his impending arrest.
- Police learned that Bostick made suicidal comments earlier in the day.
- Fearing that Bostick intended to commit suicide, officers knocked down the apartment door and entered the apartment.
- Once inside the apartment, officers found Bostick hiding in a bathroom.
After Bostick refused to exit the bathroom, he abruptly produced a semi-automatic pistol and fired one round toward three police officers. - The round struck Police Chief Arnold Amthor in the upper left shoulder.
- A Town of Montgomery officer returned fire multiple times as the Chief was removed from the area by other police officers.
- After the exchange of gunfire, approximately ten seconds passed, followed by a single muffled shot from the bathroom area.
- Officers then fled the apartment
- Six hours later, State Police entered the apartment and found Bostick deceased. A semi-automatic pistol was found two feet from the body.
- An autopsy found that Bostick died from a single self-inflicted gunshot wound to the left temple.
- A forensic examination revealed that no gunshots fired by the Town of Montgomery police officer ever struck Bostick.
“It is truly fortunate that Police Chief Amthor was not more severely injured or killed during this incident,” Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler said. “The images from the police body-worn camera, along with the other evidence developed during the investigation, demonstrate that the police officers acted lawfully and professionally, even during the time that Mr. Bostick began shooting at them and then took his own life. The recording also demonstrates the difficult and dangerous circumstances that police officers often face, particularly when responding to domestic violence incidents.”
The officer was never named.
Here are this week's Top 5 news stories from the Hudson Valley