New York Attorney General Letitia James' Office of Special Investigation (OSI) has released a report on the death of Nathan Wood, who died following an encounter with Johnstown Police Department officers in Fulton County on September 17, 2023. The investigation involved witness interviews, home security camera footage review, and legal analysis.
The incident began when a JPD officer responded to a call about someone damaging an apartment with hammers at a house on Washington Street. Upon arrival, the officer found a man bleeding from his head and a woman struggling with Mr. Wood, who was holding a hammer. Despite repeated instructions to drop the hammer, Mr. Wood did not comply and escalated the situation by smashing a window and threatening violence.
As Mr. Wood ran upstairs, he was followed by the first officer while continuing to ignore commands to drop the weapon. Mr. Wood then attacked the officer with the hammer raised over his head, leading the officer to discharge his service weapon in self-defense. Although struck in the face by Mr. Wood's hammer, the officer continued shooting until Mr. Wood was incapacitated.
Mr. Wood was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, while the officer has since fully recovered from his injuries.
Under New York's justification law for police use of deadly force in self-defense situations, OSI concluded that it would be unlikely for prosecutors to disprove beyond reasonable doubt that the officer's actions were justified during this confrontation with Mr. Wood.