Grand jury declines to indict officer

A Montgomery County grand jury determined that a New Lebanon police officer acted lawfully when he shot and injured a man during a traffic stop last December.

The shooting took place early on Dec. 10, on Franklin Street. In police body camera footage, a New Lebanon police officer told a female driver and male passenger they were stopped for having an expired tag and driving on a closed road.

The officer asked the man to exit the vehicle after getting their information. While patting him down, the officer announced he found a gun.

“Dude, I will freakin’ shoot you if you move, you got me?” the officer said before calling for backup.

According to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office, the man lunged back against the officer, which made it possible for him to reach the weapon.

Police body camera footage showed a sudden scuffle before shots were fired.

The man was reportedly shot in the back. In body camera footage, he appears to lose consciousness while on the ground, but then becomes responsive again to authorities who assure him he is still alive.

A police report identified the involved officer as Officer Gingry and the man who was shot as Jason Harlow.

Harlow was charged with having weapons while under disability, improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, carrying concealed weapons, obstructing official business and a firearm specification earlier this year, according to court records.