COHOES, N.Y. (NEWS10) — It was terrifying moments for two local birdwatchers in Cohoes. Two women said they had to run and hide for their lives as shots rang out on “The Flats” near Peebles Island State Park.
“He lifted up his gun and pointed at me, looking down his scope. And I was terrified,” explained one of the birdwatchers.
The two ladies did not want to be identified for safety reasons. They said they chose birdwatching as their go to calming and therapeutic outdoor activity. “I actually took the Friday off for mental health break from work. And we came out here at around noon with some lunch and a soda and we’re just sitting here bird watching,” explained the other.
But just moments later the women could not believe what they were looking at. “A Man wearing a camouflage face covering with an eye slit and a camo shirt, walked out onto ‘The Flats’ and we thought that was a little strange.” The birdwatcher said the man packed up the gun and began to walk away. She said he then stopped. “Then he took the gun out of the case and aimed directly at us. Which then, luckily, we were looking at him through our binoculars.”
To which the other birdwatcher responded, “So immediately we both jumped down behind this concrete wall that we were sitting on and ran.”
The Cohoes Chief of Police Todd Waldin confirmed they arrested 43-year-old Kurt James from Albany. He was charged with two felony counts for Reckless Endangerment and one felony count for the Criminal Possession of a Weapon. “They witnessed him walking up from that area of the flats on the dead end of Clark AV. And at that point he was carrying the weapon.”
The chief says 42 shell casings and nearly 150 live rounds were recovered from the scene, “A lot of shooting going off. Certainly, extremely dangerous behavior. And we’re just very grateful that no one was injured,” said Waldin.
The chief explained several witnesses reached out to the police that day to report the incident. “There were two other gentlemen who were witnesses for us who saw what took place and could confirm the victim’s account,” said Waldin. “So, you just don’t know what you’re going to hit if you’re being as reckless and irresponsible as this person was.”
As for the birdwatchers, “I think we’ll be back. It’s really such a beautiful spot. There are so many birds that come here and are really wonderful. I would like to think that this was just a random chance.”
Kurt James is expected to be back in court on September 18.
James De La Fuente
Source link