Police fatally shoot man in Canandaigua during investigation. What we know now

Mike Murphy and Victoria E. Freile, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·2 min read
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New York State Police and the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office investigate an incident involving reckless driving and gunfire. The vehicle ended up crashing into the back of the City Mini Storage on S. Main St. near Parrish St. in Canandaigua.
New York State Police and the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office investigate an incident involving reckless driving and gunfire. The vehicle ended up crashing into the back of the City Mini Storage on S. Main St. near Parrish St. in Canandaigua.

Police in Ontario County confirmed that officers fatally shot a man in Canandaigua while investigating an incident that started in East Bloomfield.

According to the Ontario County Sheriff's Office, a brief pursuit led authorities from East Bloomfield into Canandaigua, where police shot and killed Brandon M. Zurkan, 31, of Warren, Pennsylvania following an encounter between Zurkan and police.

At 11:20 p.m. Tuesday, 911 was alerted by a citizen who heard a "firecracker or gunshot" from a sedan he was following on state Route 5 in East Bloomfield. A deputy in a marked patrol car intercepted the sedan on Route 5 in the town of Canandaigua, saw the car travel over the center line twice and activated emergency lights and sirens to try to stop the car, Ontario County Sheriff David Cirencione said Wednesday at a news conference.

Zurkan, he said, continued driving east into the city, drove erratically, including on lawns and through at least one red traffic light, and fired multiple shots from the car. The pursuit ended when Zurkan drove through a fence and struck a curb.

Zurkan got out of the car, gun in hand. Cirencione said that four officers -- two deputies and two Canandaigua police officers -- fired at Zurkan after Zurkan pointed his gun at police. Police were attempting to deescalate the encounter for over 8 minutes at the time, police said.

An investigation is continuing to determine how close he was to officers.

“It was close enough that he was a realistic threat to the officers,” Canandaigua Police Chief Mathew Nielsen said.

Zurkan was taken to F.F. Thompson Hospital in Canandaigua, where he was pronounced dead. His body was then taken to the Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office, which will conduct an autopsy.

No officers or members of the public were injured. The involved officers were all veterans of their respective departments, with between three and nine years on the job. Authorities did not share the names of the involved police officers, but Cirencione said they are on administrative leave.

"This is a traumatic thing for the officers also. It takes, three, four, five days before they even process that mentally," Cirencione said. "They’re going to be going through a roller-coaster of emotions. We will continue to check in with them and support them."

Cirencione said investigators are working to connect with police and Zurkan’s family in Pennsylvania, “but at this point we have found no connection and no reason why he would have been up here (in Ontario County) at 11:30 last night.” Cirencione said Zurkan had no criminal record in New York.

Police in Ontario County continue to investigate the incident. The state Attorney General's Office is also investigating the fatal shooting.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Brandon Zurkan fatally shot by police in Canandaigua NY