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Jaime Lopez, 41, of Stanfordville, was shot around 11 a.m. Tuesday after state police responded to a restaurant he owned called Coyote Flaco, for a menacing call, according to New York State Police.
Once on scene, officers found Lopez intoxicated, armed with a knife next to the driver’s door of a vehicle occupied by a woman, who was later identified as his wife.
During the troopers’ interaction with Lopez, he failed to follow verbal instructions, and when he made an aggressive movement toward the troopers, one fired two shots, striking Lopez, state police stated.
Troopers immediately secured Lopez and administered first aid until the arrival of EMS. He was transported to MidHudson Regional Hospital where he later died.
Immediately after the shooting, Dutchess County District Attorney William Grady offered state police help by offering legal advice and providing search warrants.
On Thursday, the State Attorney General exercised their jurisdiction over the investigation under the Governor's Executive Order #147, Grady's office said.
The order in essence, "requires" the State Attorney General to investigate and prosecute, if warranted, cases where a law enforcement officer causes the death of an unarmed civilian or there is a significant question as to whether the civilian was armed and dangerous at the time of his or her death, the DA's Office added.
In addition, there are two state police investigation underway including an internal investigation by the state police Troop K Bureau of criminal investigation, and by the internal affairs division.
The state police are asking anyone with information on the case to contact the State Police at SP Poughkeepsie at 845-677-7300.
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