Buffalo Police Officer Joseph Acquino may have been wounded Sunday by an airbag instead of a gunshot wound, according to the report in The Buffalo News.
The News cited an anonymous source who said it should not be assumed that the officer’s head injury was caused by a gunshot.
“It’s become sort of conventional wisdom that the officer was shot, but that’s not necessarily the case," the source told The News. "It’s unclear if the injury was caused by a gunshot wound and that is all part of the AG’s investigation.”
The source was referring to the State Attorney General's Office, which announced Tuesday that it is taking over the investigation into Jose Hernandez-Rossy's death. That is significant because the AG only has jurisdiction when there is a question as to whether an unarmed civilian was shot by a police officer.
Hernandez-Rossy's family claims he did not own a gun, while Buffalo Police claim Hernandez-Rossy shot Acquino. Sources say Hernandez-Rossy was later shot and killed by Acquino's partner, Officer Justin Tedesco.
Two sources told The News that the officers struggled with Hernandez-Rossy after his vehicle crashed and Acquino may have been injured by an airbag. The source said Acquino's blood was found on the airbag.
Later in the article, The News cited another anonymous source who gave a different account and said she saw a bullet visible near Acquino's ear while she was tending to him.
The Buffalo Police Department is now asking anyone with information or video recordings of the incident to come forward.
BREAKING: Buffalo Police asking public for video evidence of the incident. @wkbw pic.twitter.com/kL5DY2sVQV
— Hannah Buehler (@HannahBuehler) May 10, 2017
