BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — On Tuesday, a woman called 911 and said her husband had her locked in a room and made threats to her and other people inside. When Buffalo police responded to the call at a home on Sherman Street, a man shot one of the responding officers, and other officers returned fire, shooting the man.
A neighbor, Patricia, witnessed the shooting unfold from outside her home.
"I'd seen the police pull up, and I saw them go for their guns, and my daughter said, 'Mommy, go in the house.' I said, 'Yeah, they're about to shoot,'" she said.
WATCH: Buffalo police officer shot 'multiple times' when responding to call on Sherman Street
Calls about domestic disturbances can pose some of the worst dangers for the police officers responding, and on Tuesday Buffalo Police Commissioner Erika Shields spoke about the split-second decisions officers face.
"Every day, men and women face these split-second decisions, and things seem to be going right, and they can go south so quickly," Shields said.
Former Buffalo Police Commissioner Joe Gramaglia said officers receive training on how to handle domestic situations, but that danger can escalate rapidly.
"When you walk in, you try to separate parties. You want to try to get to the root of the problem of the day," Gramaglia said. "Sometimes those tensions run very hot. And if it turns physical, you also have to be very wary of the other party in that domestic turning on you as well."
Police Benevolent Association President John Davidson also raised concerns about a recent spike in violence and ongoing staffing and contract issues.
"The reality is that we've had multiple officer-involved shootings leading up to the summer," Davidson said. "We're currently hemorrhaging officers. They're retiring at numbers higher than norm."
Davidson said Buffalo Police have been working without a new contract for nearly a year.
The city has not yet released the names of the officer or the suspect involved in the shooting. The suspect was still in surgery when BPD Commissioner Erika Shields spoke on Tuesday, and on Wednesday Shields released a statement saying the officer involved was still recuperating in the hospital but received a good prognosis. She did not provide an update on the suspect.
WATCH: Recent officer-involved shootings raise concerns for Buffalo Police Department
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