Brandon Zurkan was fatally shot by officers in Canandaigua, Ontario County. Authorities were investigating an incident in East Bloomfield.
As per Ontario County Sheriff’s Office, sheriff’s deputies and Canandaigua police officers were alerted to a “reckless driver type” complaint shortly after 11:30 PM Tuesday. They had an encounter with Zurkin in Canandaigua, where he was shot dead.
At a news conference Wednesday, deputies said that four officers (two deputies and two Canandaigua police officers) fired at Zurkan after he pointed his gun at them. Deputies said they were attempting to de-escalate the encounter at the time.
Who was Brandon Zurkan?
Brandon Zurkan was 31 years old. He was from Warren, Pennsylvania. Zurkan was taken to F.F. Thompson Hospital after the unfortunate incident, where he was pronounced dead.
Zurkan had no known ties to Ontario County, according to the police. He was also free of any criminal history in New York.
On the day of the incident, a 911 caller informed the dispatchers that they were chasing a car that was driving dangerously on Route 5 close to East Bloomfield. According to the speaker, they heard what they believed to be gunfire coming from the car. Allegedly, a deputy discovered the car shortly after and attempted to arrest it at a traffic stop.
However, Zurkan allegedly didn’t come to a stop until he reached Canandaigua. Eventually, at one point his vehicle crashed through a fence and into a curb. According to reports, Zurkan exited the vehicle with a weapon. Law enforcement officers then tried to defuse the situation and tell Zurkan to put the gun down for eight minutes.
However, when Zurkan raised his weapon, four officers started firing.
Authorities reportedly discovered another gun, more ammunition, including a handgun magazine, and some unspecified medications after examining his car. An autopsy with a toxicology report will now be performed on Zurkan by the Monroe County Medical Examiner.
