AMHERST, N.Y. (WKBW) — An Amherst woman who was shot by police after she allegedly advanced towards officers with a knife is now facing menacing charges.
The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced that 26-year-old Tonisha Green was arraigned in Erie County Court on an indictment charging her with one count of second-degree menacing and four counts of menacing a police officer. The DA said Erie County Court Judge James Bargnesi unsealed the indictment and arraigned Green at ECMC, where she remains hospitalized.
The alleged incident occurred on October 28, 2025. The DA said Amherst Police responded to an apartment complex on Durham Drive to follow up on a menacing complaint from the day before. Responding officers encountered Green, who was armed with a knife, outside of her apartment.
According to the DA, over the course of several hours, Green allegedly refused multiple commands by the officers to drop the weapon as they attempted to de-escalate the situation. An officer discharged his firearm, which resulted in an injury to Green. The DA said officers immediately rendered first aid and the knife was recovered and placed into evidence.
The Amherst Police Department released body-worn camera footage of the incident, which you can watch here. Warning: the video may contain images and language that could be disturbing to some viewers.
The DA issued the following statement on the incident:
“My office conducted a thorough review of the officer-involved critical incident. We have determined that the actions of the police officers were legally justified. The members of the Amherst Police Department involved in this incident reasonably believed they were facing deadly physical force.”
The Amherst Police Department issued the following statement:
"The Amherst Police Department would like to thank Erie County District Attorney Michael Keene and his office for their thorough and comprehensive investigation. We appreciate the District Attorney’s careful review of all evidence and witness statements, and we agree with the findings that our officer’s actions were justified under the circumstances. The safety of our community and our officers remains our highest priority, and we are committed to ensuring that every use of force is subject to full and transparent review.
We are in full agreement with the District Attorney’s Office that, based on the actions of Ms. Green, our officers acted professionally and appropriately given the situation. The department fully stands behind the officers and commends their composure and judgment in a challenging situation. Maintaining the trust and confidence of the community remains a top priority, and the department remains committed to transparency and accountability."
