Man who died in police custody identified

Two officers he encountered now face state investigation

TROY – City police Wednesday identified the 48-year-old man who died Oct. 13 during a police investigation, as well as provided the names of two officers whose actions in that incident are subject to a state Attorney General’s Office investigation.

Woody Smith, a city resident, died after leaving a Lansingburgh building through a first-floor window as Officers Richard Romero and Joseph Gomes were responding to a trespassing call, Assistant Chief Steven Barker said.

One of the two officers, who was not identified, pulled out his department-issued Taser but did not fire it, Barker said.

Romero is a four-year veteran and Gomes a two-year veteran of the police department. They are assigned to the patrol division.

At the scene, Romero and Gomes encountered Smith who was leaving the building through the window, according to previous statements. One of the officers handcuffed him. When Smith suffered medical distress, the handcuffs were removed, he was placed on his side and the Troy Fire Department ambulance was called for EMS assistance. One officer provided chest compressions until Smith was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Troy police command staff said they immediately contacted the state Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigations, which investigates fatalities involving police officers.

The police department has not issued many details about Smith’s death since it occurred the morning of Oct. 13. While police finally released Smith’s name, the department has not given the address of where the confrontation occurred in Lansingburgh. Troy police have said it must coordinate with the state Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigations.

“Specific information/evidence regarding the incident is continuing to be reviewed, corroborated and confirmed by our detectives and representatives from the NYS AG OSI,” Barker said in the statement released Wednesday.

“I can report that during the police response a Troy PD Officer displayed a department-issued & maintained Taser but it was not fired/deployed. The individual was not tased. The Taser was only displayed and shortly thereafter returned to its holster,” Barker continued.

“We will continue to coordinate any release of information with the NYS AG OSI, we appreciate their involvement in the review of this matter,” Barker said.

A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office said the local police department is responsible for releasing information concerning the identity of the deceased person.

The Smith case is the second fatality involving a police officer to have occurred in Troy this year. The other incident occurred on Feb. 22 when Sabeeh Alalkawi, 30, was killed when his Honda sedan heading south on 15th Street with a green light was broadsided by Officer Justin Byrnes, who was driving east on Hoosick Street, and went through a red light in his marked police SUV, a 2016 Ford Explorer, according to reports.

Alalkawi was estimated to be traveling at 28 mph, which is under the city speed limit of 30 mph. Byrnes’ vehicle was estimated to be traveling at up to 88 mph, based on the State Police accident investigation.