James Tighe Cushman Obituary, – The Orchard Park Police Department has identified the individual who was fatally shot by officers on Friday as James Tighe Cushman. The event occurred at approximately 8:50 p.m. on Friday at the intersection of Hawthorne Drive and Poplar Avenue.
As reported by Orchard Park Police Chief Patrick Fitzgerald, the department received a 911 call from Cushman, in which he claimed that his mother was in possession of a firearm and that he himself was armed with a knife. He also reportedly informed the dispatcher that he intended to “go out with a bang.”
Upon the arrival of the first officer, who parked a distance away, Cushman allegedly charged at him with a knife as he exited his patrol vehicle. Chief Fitzgerald stated that the officer retreated, prompting Cushman to pursue him. The officer instructed him to drop the knife, at which point Cushman circled around the police vehicle and returned to his driveway.
According to Fitzgerald, Cushman then remarked to the officer, “You should have done it dude. You should have shot me dude.” While in the driveway, a second officer arrived, and Cushman again advanced towards the officers while wielding a knife. He subsequently retreated up the driveway, exclaiming, “You should have f—ing shot me bro. Why didn’t you shoot me?”
The police reported that he then set the knife down and approached the front of the house where his mother was located. Officers instructed her to enter the house in an effort to create distance between them. She complied, and shortly thereafter, a third officer arrived on the scene. As this officer approached, Cushman seized the knife once more and pursued the officers, leading to them discharging their weapons seven times.
After dropping the knife, Cushman engaged in a physical altercation with the officers, which resulted in him ending up in a neighbor’s driveway. Officers attempted to render aid following the gunfire, and emergency medical services were summoned moments after the shots were fired, as stated by Chief Fitzgerald.
The officers involved in the shooting on Friday are Thomas Fowler and Tanner Till. Fowler has served for five years, while Till has been with the Orchard Park Police Department for one year. Both officers are currently on administrative leave and are cooperating with the investigation.
