Officers shoot and kill man who was armed in Canandaigua, says Ontario County Sheriff

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. —The Ontario County Sheriff’s Office says that officers fatally shot a man who pointed a handgun at officers in Canandaigua on Tuesday night.

The sheriff’s office says that Brandon Zurkan of Warren, Pennsylvania died at the hospital after two sheriff’s deputies and two Canandaigua Police officers fired at him around South Main Street and Green Street.

In a press conference, Ontario County Sheriff David Cirencione said that deputies and police began pursuing Zurkan in the Town of East Bloomfield after 911 callers reported a car driving recklessly around 11:30 p.m. The sheriff said that during the chase, Zurkan fired multiple shots from his car and he ran a red light at a South Main Street intersection.

The sheriff said the chase ended when Zurkan’s car crashed after it struck a curb t the City Mini Storage Company in Canandaigua and drove through a fence. According to Cirencione, that’s when Zurkan got out and advanced toward the officers.

The sheriff said officers told Zurkan to drop the gun for eight minutes but instead, he raised the gun toward the officers. That’s when the officers fired. An ambulance rushed Zurkan to F.F. Thompson Hospital, where he died shortly after arriving.

Cirencione said they don’t know why the Pennsylvania resident was in Canandaigua. You can see the full conference here: