Police shot a man at a multi-million dollar home in Armonk, New York. Here's why officers were there.
ARMONK, N.Y. -- Some people in a wealthy New York community are feeling shock after police shot a man in their neighborhood.
It happened in the afternoon on May 20 in Armonk, in a neighborhood with multi-million dollar homes and very little crime located in Westchester County.
"I'm at a loss for words right now. It's scary," said Ansh Arvati, who lives near the crime scene on Hallock Place.
Man attacked officers with knife, police chief says
Police said it started when they were called to the 8,000-square-foot home for a 78-year-old woman in need of medical assistance.
As the woman was being removed by ambulance, officers discovered a man in the home had two outstanding arrest warrants.
North Castle Police Chief Peter Simonsen said the man, later identified as 38-year-old Joseph Spennato, used a knife to attack one of the officers taking him into custody.
Another officer opened fire and shot Spennato twice.
The Westchester County District Attorney's Office launched an investigation into the shooting and released a statement on May 30 saying it determined the shooting was justified.
Home was known for "strange behavior," neighbor says
Sabina Elias, a neighbor, said she was cautious of the home, but never expected to see a crime scene so close to her front door.
"It had a reputation for strange behavior, but nobody has seen anything to this degree," said Elias. "I really hope that the police officer is not injured too badly and that he can recover quickly and this is all a faint memory for him. It's just so unfortunate that it had to happen the way that it did, but he just came to the house trying to help."
"You don't really ever hear about things like that happening here. It's surprising," said Mayank Patel, another Armonk resident.
"I'm upset, it's upsetting. It's upsetting as a citizen of this town," said Arvati.
