Albany, NY – In response to the shooting of Jordan Young in Albany last week, Ivette Alfonso, President of Citizen Action of New York issued the following statement:
The police that shot Jordan Young several times in Albany, New York on January 24 had no legal basis for stopping him. We know that the Albany Police Department had a history of harassing Jordan, and it is disappointing that they are now creating a crisis to justify this horrific shooting. Jordan suffers from a mental illness, and this situation further justifies the need for investments in community-based interventions, instead of over-policing, which would’ve prevented this situation from escalating. This wasn’t Jordan’s first run-in with the police; on January 14th, just 10 days earlier, Jordan was violently pulled out of a car for what turned out to be a lighter — that Albany Police mistook for a gun. Jordan Young was brutally beaten, and sustained serious injuries from this encounter, which caused him to seek medical attention at the nearby Albany Medical Center Hospital.
As family members have already noted, the video footage does not show the events leading up to the shooting. Jordan was on his cell phone talking to his niece when he was approached by the police, who were already in the area due to calls about a home invasion they were investigating nearby. There has been no video evidence that confirms that Mr. Young held a knife to his pet’s throat. There were no efforts made to de-escalate by the Albany Police Department, and it is extremely disappointing that the officers prioritized the utilization of a lethal weapon. We stand with Jordan and his family as we wish him a speedy recovery, and call for full accountability and an investigation into the violent use of force by the Albany Police Department.