NY AG releases body cam footage of Wawarsing fatal shooting of Daniel McAlpin

Attorney General Letitia James’ office has released video from two state police officers’ body cameras from the September 2022 night in which Daniel McAlpin, 41, died after an officer shot him.

According to slides in both videos, some footage was redacted due to the AG office's policy. It's yet not clear what was redacted in the videos.

State police responded at about 8:30 p.m. to the Wawarsing home of McAlpin’s parents on Sept. 9. Radio transmissions had first responders describing the call as a "psychiatric emergency." The police and Ulster County Sheriff's Office were called to assist the Ulster County Mobile Mental Health crisis team at the McAlpins' home, the police have said. McAlpin’s mother has said she and her husband were in Maine that day and that their son lived with them.

Police said they found McAlpin "distraught" inside the home with a large knife. It was described as a machete by the state Attorney General's office, which also has said McAlpin had an airsoft rifle with him. Airsoft guns often look like traditional guns but shoot nonlethal, plastic pellets.

Wawarsing: Family searches for answers after state police fatally shoot Daniel McAlpin

Police said last year that Trooper Elias Strickland used a taser to attempt to stop McAlpin, but that he still advanced toward officers while threatening them with the knife, and that Trooper Jason Wurtz shot McAlpin, who died at the scene.

The Attorney General’s office said Monday it had obtained the videos as part of its ongoing investigation into the death and that releasing them follows James’ directive that camera footage be made public to increase transparency and strengthen trust in such matters. It’s not known how long the officers and other responders had been at the house before the video footage begins.

The videos included a written statement that “Video redacted according to OAG Policy.” The office did not say, when asked by email, what was redacted but referred to its policy. Footage may be redacted or withheld for things including to ensure privacy, such as residence’s interiors, intimate images, documents containing certain identifying information, and a person receiving medical attention. It can also be to comply with laws, protect confidential sources or witness, protect a person’s right to a fair trial, protect identities of victims of sexual crimes and domestic violence, avoid undue trauma due to graphic content, and to protect minors’ identities.

The videos released Monday are from Troopers Strickland’s and Wurtz’s cameras, according to the Attorney General’s office.

In video from Wurtz’s camera, inside the house one of the responders is heard saying to McAlpin, who is not visible at this point, that “right now, all we would do is we’d have you talk to somebody.”

The video shows a couple of doors, both closed, next to each other.

An officer opens the door on the right, then quickly steps away and back from it. Another officer, whose uniform is marked sheriff, is pointing a firearm at that doorway and then makes his way into the room. The room is dark and no one appears to be in it.

A responder is heard saying, “Dan. Be calm, Dan, please.”

The video then shows officers and perhaps other responders positioned to either side of the left door, which is closed. One of the officers places a hand on the door handle. Another officer near him is holding a Taser.

As a Sheriff’s Department officer, holding a gun, goes past the door to position himself slightly behind the officer holding the door handle, another responder is heard saying, “Danny? Danny?”

McAlpin is still not visible, the door remains closed, but McAlpin appears to respond: “I do not want to hurt anyone. Please go away.”

A responder replies, “Danny, nobody wants to hurt you. We just want you to –”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone; please go away!” McAlpin replies.

The same responder tells McAlpin, “Danny, we want to build trust with you.”

As McAlpin responds: “I don’t want to build trust; I …,“ video from Wurtz’s camera shows an officer’s arm motioning toward positioned officers, and the one who had been holding the door handle reaches out to open the door.

As the door swings open, it reveals an ascending stairway. Officers are off to either side of the doorway, and McAlpin appears to be heard saying, “Oh, yeah?”

“Let me see your hands! Let me see your hands!” an officer said.

An officer moves toward the foot of the stairs, points his gun upward.

“Let me see your hands!” an officer said. “Drop it! Drop the weapon!”

McAlpin is heard saying something during those commands that’s harder to make out.

A sound is heard, possibly of the Taser being used, and McAlpin appears to be heard saying, “ow.”

“Put the knife down!” a responder said.

Officers continue to tell McAlpin to “drop it!”

The video indicates that McAlpin is coming down the stairs.

The officer uses the Taser.

“Ow!” McAlpine said.

McAlpin is seen swinging the machete in various directions and is carrying some type of firearm – the Attorney General’s office last year said it was an Airsoft rifle.

As McAlpin gets toward the bottom of the stairs, he is seen swinging the machete, and officers back away and go off to the side.

Wurtz appears to place both hands on his gun as McAlpin is on the bottom one or two stairs and two shots are heard.

McAlpin falls toward the floor and is heard saying “Ow!”

From this point, it’s harder to see precisely what happens. Much of McAlpin is obscured in the video by the officer’s arms holding the gun. From down on the floor, it appears McAlpin may attempt to swing or do something with the machete at least once, possibly in the direction of Wurtz, who moves back.

“Drop the weapon!” a responder tells McAlpin, and what appears to be three more shots are heard.

The Attorney General’s office has not said how many shots were fired or whether McAlpin was hit by more than one.

Officers then several times say “drop it!” and “drop the weapon!”

McAlpin is then shown on the floor.

Another officer says to handcuff him, he’s down, he’s down.

“We’re safe, everybody’s safe,” one responder says.

“Render aid! Render aid!” another says. “Get a tourniquet on his arm,” after McAlpin is in handcuffs.

Another voice can be heard saying, “this is my patient.”

An officer or two at different points say, “get back!” It’s not immediately clear who they’re directing the command to, but it may be in response to the person who said “this is my patient.”

That same person asks, “has he been shot?"

Michael McKinney is a breaking-news reporter for The Journal News, Poughkeepsie Journal and Times Herald-Record of Middletown.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NYAG releases video of Wawarsing police shooting Daniel McAlpin dead