The off-duty Rutland County sheriff’s deputy shot early Sunday morning in upstate New York after police said he refused officers’ orders to drop his weapon has been identified as Vito Caselnova IV, of Glens Falls, New York.
Rutland County Sheriff David Fox confirmed his deputy’s identity to VTDigger late Monday afternoon after refusing to do so earlier in the day. Police in Saratoga Springs, New York, where the shooting took place, also declined to identify the deputy or anyone else involved in the incident.
Fox said Caselnova, who has been with the department since 2019, has been placed on unpaid administrative leave. The firearm used in the shooting incident Sunday was not a department-issued weapon, the sheriff said.
Saratoga Springs police said late Monday afternoon that no charges had been filed and the investigation remained ongoing.
Fox said Caselnova worked as a part-time deputy, averaging about three days per week, mainly providing courthouse security.
Saratoga Springs police reported Sunday that the deputy had been hospitalized with “multiple” gunshot wounds. Two other people in the shootout had also been hospitalized, according to police, who indicated that all the parties were either in stable condition or had been discharged.
A spokesperson for the Albany Medical Center in New York said Monday afternoon that Caselnova was listed in fair condition.
The incident leading to the shootout took place around 3 a.m. Sunday when police heard shots fired in the downtown district and responded to the scene.
Police said they found two groups of people who had earlier been engaged in a bar argument that spilled out on the street before shots were fired. One man, according to The Times Union, slammed the deputy sheriff onto the hood of a car.
The newspaper, citing Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Public Safety James Montagnino, also reported that the deputy showed he was armed and that another man drew a gun and began to fire at the deputy.
Police said officers ordered everyone to drop their weapons. One man, later identified as Caselnova, repeatedly refused to comply before officers opened fire, according to police.
According to an Associated Press report, a Supreme Court decision earlier this year held New York State’s licensing laws restricting who can carry a firearm in public were unconstitutional.
The report added that under revised rules it is still currently illegal to carry a firearm in an establishment that serves alcohol, despite it being the subject of a court challenge.
While Caselnova was initially named in news reports late Sunday night, several news organizations withdrew his name from their reports after authorities would not confirm the identity.
