D'Alessio

PHILMONT – A man, who held police at bay for seven hours, gave up early Tuesday morning, but not before he fired a weapon from inside his house at 48 Prospect Street in Philmont. The bullet struck Columbia County Deputy Sheriff Louis Bray, but fortunately for him, his bullet proof vest stopped if from penetrating. It did deflect, however, striking him in the arm, causing minor injury.

It all began at 11 p.m. Monday night when police went to the home of Michael D’Alessio, 44, after he allegedly assaulted an individual who had brought his children to his home for a supervised visit. The children were not injured and D’Alessio was the only one inside when deputies attempted to arrest him.

After the deputies announced they were there, D’Alessio fired a weapon inside the house.

Shortly before 2 a.m., as police were trying to contact him by phone, D’Alessio fired again, striking Deputy Bray.

For several hours, D’Alessio did not respond to several attempts to speak with him by phone and outside the house. At 6 a.m., incident negotiators approached the house in an armored personnel carrier and against tried to make contact with him so that he would come out.

At about 6:20 a.m., D’Alessio did exit the house and was taken into custody without further incident. He was charged with the initial crimes of assault in the third degree, menacing and reckless endangerment in the second degree.

District Attorney Beth Cozzolino said he was also charged with attempted aggravated murder, attempted manslaughter in the first degree, and criminal use of a firearm in the first degree.

During the incident, some 20 residents of the neighborhood were evacuated to safety.