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If your workday begins strapping on a bulletproof vest and buckling a gun belt to your side, you are given the opportunity to feel the tangible realities of your occupation. Your job’s intangibles are the unknown of the shift ahead. Who are you?
A deputy sheriff.
Columbia County Deputy Sheriffs Chad Shufelt, Patrick
Logue and Brian Molinski were attempting to execute an arrest warrant
for assault against Michael D’Alessio of Philmont. The warrant had been
triggered by an incident earlier in the evening when D’Alessio
allegedly assaulted the person who brought D’Alessio’s two children for
a supervised visit. That individual, the children’s grandfather, was
struck by a chair that D’Alessio allegedly threw at him. The chair
missed the children.
Later that evening, the three deputies arrived at the D’Alessio residence to find the front door barricaded. They went around to the back and announced themselves. D’Alessio’s response was to fire a weapon inside the residence. The deputies cautiously retreated and established a perimeter as they requested additional police officers.
Deputy sheriffs, state troopers and officers from the Philmont Police Department arrived and strengthened the perimeter. The Columbia County Sheriff’s SWAT Team was activated as well as Incident Negotiators from the Sheriff’s Office and the State Police BCI.
Attempts to contact D’Alessio by the Incident Negotiators were not successful. Just before 2:00 a.m., D’Alessio again fired his weapon inside the residence. A bullet from that gun struck Deputy Sheriff Louis Bray. Deputy Bray, a member of the Sheriff’s SWAT Team, who had taken a position outside the residence, was struck in the front of his bulletproof vest, which deflected the slug into his arm causing minor injury to his chest and arm.
At this point, Sheriff David Harrison felt that this confrontation could go on for an extended period of time. With the perimeter secure, he wanted to wait D’Alessio out. He did request that the State Police’s Mobile Response Team be brought in to augment his SWAT team members, which would allow for coverage around the clock if D’Alessio sat tight over an extended period of time.
Immediately after Deputy Bray was shot, patrol deputy sheriffs and state troopers continued evacuating the nearby neighbors. The twenty neighbors affected were taken to the Philmont Fire House, where Columbia County Emergency Management, the County Fire and EMS Coordinators established a temporary shelter.
“The response from the state police and Philmont police with their cooperative commitment greatly enhanced our efforts in a situation which had the potential to become even more volatile,” an appreciative Sheriff Harrison said. “All the officers and commanders were on the same page within minutes of their respective arrivals.”
Incident Negotiators from both the Sheriff’s Office and the State Police diligently worked to make contact with D’Alessio but received no response.
Additional intelligence information picked up by the Sheriff’s investigators suggested that D’Alessio had said that if the police ever came to his house, “they better have their vests on.” Sheriff Harrison took this threat very seriously, having already seen one of his deputies shot.
Finally, at 6 a.m., Incident Negotiator Senior Investigator William Foster, Deputy Sheriff Eli Fieser and BCI Senior Investigator Gary Mazzacano, supported by the State Police MRT and the Sheriff’s SWAT team, approached the house in a State Police Armored Personnel Carrier. They continued their efforts to make contact with D’Alessio with the hope they could talk him into surrendering. That patient effort did pay off, twenty minutes later, as D’Alessio exited the house and was taken into custody.
A visibly relieved Sheriff Harrison said, “I am pleased that this situation resulted in no further injury to anyone involved and that Deputy Sheriff Bray was not seriously injured when he was shot. I commend the job done by all the agencies and believe that the manner in which everyone worked together is why this incident ended without further violence.”
The evacuated residents were able to return to their homes by 7:00 a.m. Sheriff Harrison expressed his appreciation for the understanding of those people who were forced to leave their homes in the middle of the night.
Mr. D’Alessio is currently incarcerated in the Columbia County Jail. He is charged with Attempted Aggravated Murder – an A1 Felony, Attempted Manslaughter, 1st degree – C Felony and Criminal Use of a Firearm 1st Degree – B Felony.
Editors Note – In addition to Sheriff Harrison, uniformed Deputy Sheriffs, State Troopers and the Village of Philmont Police Officers at the scene were: Undersheriff James Sweet, Captain David Bartlett, Lieutenant James Andrews, State Police Captain Scott Brown, MRT Captain Robert Nuzzo and Lieutenant Gene Hallenback, Zone Sergeant Leonard White, Philmont Police OIC Vern Doyle, Sheriff’s Senior Investigators William Foster and Kevin Skype, State Police Senior Investigator Gary Mazzacano, Assistant DA Michael Cozzolino and the Philmont Rescue squad. At the temporary shelter were: Philmont Fire Chief Chris Carlson and Assistant Chief Dick Howard, county Emergency Management Director William Black, Assistant Director Paul D’Onofrio, Fire Coordinator James VanDusen and EMS Coordinator PJ Keeler. Cumberland Farms donated bottles of water for the shelter.
Later that evening, the three deputies arrived at the D’Alessio residence to find the front door barricaded. They went around to the back and announced themselves. D’Alessio’s response was to fire a weapon inside the residence. The deputies cautiously retreated and established a perimeter as they requested additional police officers.
Deputy sheriffs, state troopers and officers from the Philmont Police Department arrived and strengthened the perimeter. The Columbia County Sheriff’s SWAT Team was activated as well as Incident Negotiators from the Sheriff’s Office and the State Police BCI.
Attempts to contact D’Alessio by the Incident Negotiators were not successful. Just before 2:00 a.m., D’Alessio again fired his weapon inside the residence. A bullet from that gun struck Deputy Sheriff Louis Bray. Deputy Bray, a member of the Sheriff’s SWAT Team, who had taken a position outside the residence, was struck in the front of his bulletproof vest, which deflected the slug into his arm causing minor injury to his chest and arm.
At this point, Sheriff David Harrison felt that this confrontation could go on for an extended period of time. With the perimeter secure, he wanted to wait D’Alessio out. He did request that the State Police’s Mobile Response Team be brought in to augment his SWAT team members, which would allow for coverage around the clock if D’Alessio sat tight over an extended period of time.
Immediately after Deputy Bray was shot, patrol deputy sheriffs and state troopers continued evacuating the nearby neighbors. The twenty neighbors affected were taken to the Philmont Fire House, where Columbia County Emergency Management, the County Fire and EMS Coordinators established a temporary shelter.
“The response from the state police and Philmont police with their cooperative commitment greatly enhanced our efforts in a situation which had the potential to become even more volatile,” an appreciative Sheriff Harrison said. “All the officers and commanders were on the same page within minutes of their respective arrivals.”
Incident Negotiators from both the Sheriff’s Office and the State Police diligently worked to make contact with D’Alessio but received no response.
Additional intelligence information picked up by the Sheriff’s investigators suggested that D’Alessio had said that if the police ever came to his house, “they better have their vests on.” Sheriff Harrison took this threat very seriously, having already seen one of his deputies shot.
Finally, at 6 a.m., Incident Negotiator Senior Investigator William Foster, Deputy Sheriff Eli Fieser and BCI Senior Investigator Gary Mazzacano, supported by the State Police MRT and the Sheriff’s SWAT team, approached the house in a State Police Armored Personnel Carrier. They continued their efforts to make contact with D’Alessio with the hope they could talk him into surrendering. That patient effort did pay off, twenty minutes later, as D’Alessio exited the house and was taken into custody.
A visibly relieved Sheriff Harrison said, “I am pleased that this situation resulted in no further injury to anyone involved and that Deputy Sheriff Bray was not seriously injured when he was shot. I commend the job done by all the agencies and believe that the manner in which everyone worked together is why this incident ended without further violence.”
The evacuated residents were able to return to their homes by 7:00 a.m. Sheriff Harrison expressed his appreciation for the understanding of those people who were forced to leave their homes in the middle of the night.
Mr. D’Alessio is currently incarcerated in the Columbia County Jail. He is charged with Attempted Aggravated Murder – an A1 Felony, Attempted Manslaughter, 1st degree – C Felony and Criminal Use of a Firearm 1st Degree – B Felony.
Editors Note – In addition to Sheriff Harrison, uniformed Deputy Sheriffs, State Troopers and the Village of Philmont Police Officers at the scene were: Undersheriff James Sweet, Captain David Bartlett, Lieutenant James Andrews, State Police Captain Scott Brown, MRT Captain Robert Nuzzo and Lieutenant Gene Hallenback, Zone Sergeant Leonard White, Philmont Police OIC Vern Doyle, Sheriff’s Senior Investigators William Foster and Kevin Skype, State Police Senior Investigator Gary Mazzacano, Assistant DA Michael Cozzolino and the Philmont Rescue squad. At the temporary shelter were: Philmont Fire Chief Chris Carlson and Assistant Chief Dick Howard, county Emergency Management Director William Black, Assistant Director Paul D’Onofrio, Fire Coordinator James VanDusen and EMS Coordinator PJ Keeler. Cumberland Farms donated bottles of water for the shelter.
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