New York police officer killed in the line of duty.
As the City of Poughkeepsie, NY mourns the death of police officer John Falcone, details about the tragic shooting in which the 44-year-old, 18-year veteran died Friday were released at a City Hall press conference held this afternoon.
"The big question is," Poughkeepsie Police Chief Ron Knapp said at the press conference, "What brought this to Poughkeepsie?"
Lee Welch, 27, and his wife, Jessica Welch, 28, both of Catskill, have three children together and a history of domestic violence, Knapp said. They were in Poughkeepsie to exchange a vehicle when the shooting occurred.
Falcone was a block-and-a-half away from the scene of the shooting when a report came in at 1:07 p.m. Friday of shots fired on lower Main Street.
The husband shot his wife while she sat in their vehicle, possibly more than once. He was holding their 3-year-old child and waving a gun when Falcone came upon him on lower Main Street, near Railroad Avenue. Jessica Welch was taken to Vassar Brothers Medical Center, where she died.
Additional officers arrived and a struggle ensued, Welch fired his weapon twice, Falcone was shot once in the head and Welch shot himself. Welch was ordered multiple times to drop his weapon.
An officer who tackled the suspect suffered a dislocated shoulder. Everything happened in about five minutes, Knapp said. Falcone's parents were at his side when he died Friday night at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, following surgery. Trauma teams from the state police and sheriff's office are working with City of Poughkeepsie officers. Knapp said officers who were close with Falcone have been placed on administrative leave.
"John was an active member of the department and was always the first one in the middle of it, as he was this time," City of Poughkeepsie Police Chief Ron Knapp said during the press conference."Everyone is friends with John."
Falcone was not married, lived in Marlboro and grew up in Putnam County, where his parents John and Margaret (Samarelli) Falcone still live.
Knapp said no officer discharged their weapon. The vehicle is being processed and autopsy results are pending. Dozens of witnesses have been interviewed.
The flag at the City of Poughkeepsie police station and City Hall flies at half-staff today as police began the second day of the investigation of the series of shootings over a five-minute span that killed 44-year-old police officer John Falcone and left two other people. Black bunting has also been hung outside police headquarters, which sits adjacent to City Hall.
"Our police department is strong," Poughkeepsie Mayor John Tkazyik said during the press conference. "And will endure through this...But now, we are hurting. Our officers who protects us every single day are hurting in a way like never before. When you see them on the street, thank them for their servicee, express your feelings for their loss. Know every day they go to work, they may not come home."
As the City of Poughkeepsie, NY mourns the death of police officer John Falcone, details about the tragic shooting in which the 44-year-old, 18-year veteran died Friday were released at a City Hall press conference held this afternoon.
"The big question is," Poughkeepsie Police Chief Ron Knapp said at the press conference, "What brought this to Poughkeepsie?"
Lee Welch, 27, and his wife, Jessica Welch, 28, both of Catskill, have three children together and a history of domestic violence, Knapp said. They were in Poughkeepsie to exchange a vehicle when the shooting occurred.
Falcone was a block-and-a-half away from the scene of the shooting when a report came in at 1:07 p.m. Friday of shots fired on lower Main Street.
The husband shot his wife while she sat in their vehicle, possibly more than once. He was holding their 3-year-old child and waving a gun when Falcone came upon him on lower Main Street, near Railroad Avenue. Jessica Welch was taken to Vassar Brothers Medical Center, where she died.
Additional officers arrived and a struggle ensued, Welch fired his weapon twice, Falcone was shot once in the head and Welch shot himself. Welch was ordered multiple times to drop his weapon.
An officer who tackled the suspect suffered a dislocated shoulder. Everything happened in about five minutes, Knapp said. Falcone's parents were at his side when he died Friday night at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, following surgery. Trauma teams from the state police and sheriff's office are working with City of Poughkeepsie officers. Knapp said officers who were close with Falcone have been placed on administrative leave.
"John was an active member of the department and was always the first one in the middle of it, as he was this time," City of Poughkeepsie Police Chief Ron Knapp said during the press conference."Everyone is friends with John."
Falcone was not married, lived in Marlboro and grew up in Putnam County, where his parents John and Margaret (Samarelli) Falcone still live.
Knapp said no officer discharged their weapon. The vehicle is being processed and autopsy results are pending. Dozens of witnesses have been interviewed.
The flag at the City of Poughkeepsie police station and City Hall flies at half-staff today as police began the second day of the investigation of the series of shootings over a five-minute span that killed 44-year-old police officer John Falcone and left two other people. Black bunting has also been hung outside police headquarters, which sits adjacent to City Hall.
"Our police department is strong," Poughkeepsie Mayor John Tkazyik said during the press conference. "And will endure through this...But now, we are hurting. Our officers who protects us every single day are hurting in a way like never before. When you see them on the street, thank them for their servicee, express your feelings for their loss. Know every day they go to work, they may not come home."
New York police officer killed in the line of duty.
As the City of Poughkeepsie, NY mourns the death of police officer John Falcone, details about the tragic shooting in which the 44-year-old, 18-year veteran died Friday were released at a City Hall press conference held this afternoon.
"The big question is," Poughkeepsie Police Chief Ron Knapp said at the press conference, "What brought this to Poughkeepsie?"
Lee Welch, 27, and his wife, Jessica Welch, 28, both of Catskill, have three children together and a history of domestic violence, Knapp said. They were in Poughkeepsie to exchange a vehicle when the shooting occurred.
Falcone was a block-and-a-half away from the scene of the shooting when a report came in at 1:07 p.m. Friday of shots fired on lower Main Street.
The husband shot his wife while she sat in their vehicle, possibly more than once. He was holding their 3-year-old child and waving a gun when Falcone came upon him on lower Main Street, near Railroad Avenue. Jessica Welch was taken to Vassar Brothers Medical Center, where she died.
Additional officers arrived and a struggle ensued, Welch fired his weapon twice, Falcone was shot once in the head and Welch shot himself. Welch was ordered multiple times to drop his weapon.
An officer who tackled the suspect suffered a dislocated shoulder. Everything happened in about five minutes, Knapp said. Falcone's parents were at his side when he died Friday night at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, following surgery. Trauma teams from the state police and sheriff's office are working with City of Poughkeepsie officers. Knapp said officers who were close with Falcone have been placed on administrative leave.
"John was an active member of the department and was always the first one in the middle of it, as he was this time," City of Poughkeepsie Police Chief Ron Knapp said during the press conference."Everyone is friends with John."
Falcone was not married, lived in Marlboro and grew up in Putnam County, where his parents John and Margaret (Samarelli) Falcone still live.
Knapp said no officer discharged their weapon. The vehicle is being processed and autopsy results are pending. Dozens of witnesses have been interviewed.
The flag at the City of Poughkeepsie police station and City Hall flies at half-staff today as police began the second day of the investigation of the series of shootings over a five-minute span that killed 44-year-old police officer John Falcone and left two other people. Black bunting has also been hung outside police headquarters, which sits adjacent to City Hall.
"Our police department is strong," Poughkeepsie Mayor John Tkazyik said during the press conference. "And will endure through this...But now, we are hurting. Our officers who protects us every single day are hurting in a way like never before. When you see them on the street, thank them for their servicee, express your feelings for their loss. Know every day they go to work, they may not come home."
As the City of Poughkeepsie, NY mourns the death of police officer John Falcone, details about the tragic shooting in which the 44-year-old, 18-year veteran died Friday were released at a City Hall press conference held this afternoon.
"The big question is," Poughkeepsie Police Chief Ron Knapp said at the press conference, "What brought this to Poughkeepsie?"
Lee Welch, 27, and his wife, Jessica Welch, 28, both of Catskill, have three children together and a history of domestic violence, Knapp said. They were in Poughkeepsie to exchange a vehicle when the shooting occurred.
Falcone was a block-and-a-half away from the scene of the shooting when a report came in at 1:07 p.m. Friday of shots fired on lower Main Street.
The husband shot his wife while she sat in their vehicle, possibly more than once. He was holding their 3-year-old child and waving a gun when Falcone came upon him on lower Main Street, near Railroad Avenue. Jessica Welch was taken to Vassar Brothers Medical Center, where she died.
Additional officers arrived and a struggle ensued, Welch fired his weapon twice, Falcone was shot once in the head and Welch shot himself. Welch was ordered multiple times to drop his weapon.
An officer who tackled the suspect suffered a dislocated shoulder. Everything happened in about five minutes, Knapp said. Falcone's parents were at his side when he died Friday night at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, following surgery. Trauma teams from the state police and sheriff's office are working with City of Poughkeepsie officers. Knapp said officers who were close with Falcone have been placed on administrative leave.
"John was an active member of the department and was always the first one in the middle of it, as he was this time," City of Poughkeepsie Police Chief Ron Knapp said during the press conference."Everyone is friends with John."
Falcone was not married, lived in Marlboro and grew up in Putnam County, where his parents John and Margaret (Samarelli) Falcone still live.
Knapp said no officer discharged their weapon. The vehicle is being processed and autopsy results are pending. Dozens of witnesses have been interviewed.
The flag at the City of Poughkeepsie police station and City Hall flies at half-staff today as police began the second day of the investigation of the series of shootings over a five-minute span that killed 44-year-old police officer John Falcone and left two other people. Black bunting has also been hung outside police headquarters, which sits adjacent to City Hall.
"Our police department is strong," Poughkeepsie Mayor John Tkazyik said during the press conference. "And will endure through this...But now, we are hurting. Our officers who protects us every single day are hurting in a way like never before. When you see them on the street, thank them for their servicee, express your feelings for their loss. Know every day they go to work, they may not come home."
