NY state trooper cleared in fatal 2021 shooting in Dolgeville
A New York State Trooper was cleared of a December 2021 deadly shooting in Dolgeville, New York Attorney General Letitia James’ Office of Special Investigation (OSI) said Thursday in a statement.
On Dec. 24, 2021, Carson Dobson allegedly broke into his mother's home and stabbed her several times before leaving. Officers located Dobson a short distance away, where authorities said he was armed with a knife and a sword.
Dobson refused to drop the weapons despite repeated commands from law enforcement and three police members used a Taser on him. Despite that, officials said he continued toward the officers and threatened them.
That's when Trooper Andrew Gorinshek fired his division-issued weapon, according to Observer-Dispatch archives; Dobson died at the scene, police said.
The stabbing victim was taken to a local hospital and is expected to recover, officials said.
“Under New York’s justification law, a person may use deadly physical force to defend against the imminent use of deadly physical force by another person,” OSI said in a statement. “When the defense of justification is raised at trial, the prosecution must disprove justification beyond a reasonable doubt.”
“In this case, Mr. Dobson had reportedly stabbed his mother and he then exited his trailer brandishing a sword and a knife and charged at a trooper.”
Attorney General investigation
OSI said it followed a thorough investigation - including a review of body camera footage, interview with witnesses and evidence from the scene – before concluding that the shooting was justified.
“Under these circumstances, based on the law and the evidence, a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer who fired was justified, and OSI determined that criminal charges could not be pursued against the trooper,” OSI said.
State police declined comment and referred everything to the attorney general’s office.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Dolgeville fatal shooting: OSI clears state trooper in 2021 incident
