TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo police chief Michael Troendle addressed the shooting of Albert Alderman Jr., 33, during a press conference on Thursday. The incident occurred as officers attempted to arrest Alderman in connection with the strangulation death of his live-in girlfriend earlier that day. Troendle stated that it seemed the officers had no choice but to respond the way they did when Alderman repeatedly pointed a handgun at them while trying to escape.
The Toledo Police department released body-camera and dashboard-camera footage during the Thursday news conference, providing a visual portrayal of the events leading up to the shooting of Alderman, who fled from officers on Sunday. The footage showed officers firing multiple rounds at Alderman, with some shots being fired from inside a police cruiser. Troendle revealed that the four officers involved in the incident fired more than 70 rounds, resulting in Alderman being shot 35 times.
Despite Alderman pointing a weapon at the officers, Troendle disclosed that it appeared no shots were fired from Alderman’s gun. He suggested the possibility of a malfunction with Alderman’s weapon and emphasized that further review of the incident will be conducted to ensure adherence to department policies. An internal investigation is underway, and a firearms-review board will assess whether the shooting was justified.
Troendle shared that the officers involved in the shooting were identified as Sgt. Robert Reed, Officer Aaron Manders, Officer Zachary Cairl, and Officer Carl Grady. They were initially put on administrative leave but returned to duty on Thursday, with one officer on light duty due to hearing damage from the gunfire in the enclosed police cruiser.
The incident began when Alderman called authorities to report that his girlfriend, Kelsie Barnier, 29, was unresponsive and not breathing. An autopsy later confirmed that Barnier had been strangled to death, prompting authorities to rule her death a homicide. The officers’ initial attempts to apprehend Alderman were interrupted by the departure of the couple’s children with their grandmother.
Alderman’s refusal to meet with detectives and subsequent attempt to flee led to the confrontation with law enforcement, during which he pointed a gun at officers on multiple occasions. Troendle mentioned that a relative of Alderman informed police that Alderman’s intention was to provoke officers to kill him in a “suicide by cop” scenario.
The incident culminated in Alderman being fatally shot by officers after pointing a handgun at them on multiple occasions. Despite being shot, Alderman continued to pose a threat by attempting to get back up and pointing the gun at the officers until they were finally able to disarm him.
Alderman was pronounced dead at the scene by Toledo Fire and Rescue Department. The authorities have since initiated investigations into both the circumstances of Barnier’s death and the officers’ use of force in the shooting of Alderman.