AG finds deadly force in 2023 Johnstown attack was justified

JOHNSTOWN, N.Y. (NEWS10)-- After an investigation by the Attorney General's office, officials said prosecutors wouldn't be able to disprove that an officer's actions were justified in the shooting death of Nathan Wood in September 2023. A Johnstown officer shot Wood after he attacked two people and an officer with a hammer in an apartment on Washington Street.

Witnesses, home security camera footage, and legal analysis confirmed that the officer's actions were justified. In a release from the Attorney General's office, officials said the scene police encountered required the use of deadly force.

The release said officers walked into the complex and found a person lying and bleeding on the ground, another tenant in a struggle with Wood, followed by Wood yelling he was going to "kill" his "buddy" in the upstairs apartment. When police tried to separate the fight between Wood and the tenant, Wood ignored the officer's instructions to drop the hammer and hit him in the face with it.

When the hammer hit the officer, he discharged his weapon. Wood was transported to a local hospital before being pronounced dead. The officer made a full recovery.

The release said the circumstances proved the officer made the right choice. "Under these circumstances, given the law and the evidence, a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officer's use of deadly physical force against Mr. Wood was justified, and therefore OSI determined that criminal charges would not be pursued in this matter," the release said.