ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- "I heard about four shots, but when I came out I didn't see any police or anything, so I didn't pay no mind to it," said Larry Campbell, a resident it the area.
What Campbell heard was what initially brought Lake Section officers to the area of Jay Street at 8:10 p.m. on Friday. It was a call for shots fired.
"Then around 9 o'clock I heard four or five more shots and so I came back out and I saw the police coming down," Campbell recalled. "There were a lot of them."
According to Rochester Police Chief Mike Ciminelli following the initial call, officers, including Joseph Ferrigno, were also looking for a suspect involved in a menacing with a handgun report from last week. Ferrigno then noticed a suspicious vehicle backed into the driveway of 9 Immel Street. Ciminelli explained what happened next that caused a massive crime scene.
"There were two men in the car," Ciminelli said. "Both men exited the car as the officer approached. One of the men fired a shot at Officer Ferrigno. Fortunately that shot missed Officer Ferrigno. Officer Ferrigno returned fire with his service weapon. He fired four times, striking the suspect three to four times."
The man was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital and is listed in critical but stable condition. Officer Ferrigno, an eight year veteran of the department, wasn't harmed.
"The second man fled the scene and has not yet been located," Ciminelli said.
RPD found a 9mm handgun at the scene and believe it was the weapon used. However, the gun isn't registered to the suspect.
"We are in the process of tracking the gun now to get more information," Ciminelli said.
As Saturday wears on, questions remain to be answered as well, like why and who are the two men allegedly involved. Campbell says he knows the man accused of opening fire at Ferrigno and says it comes as a surprise.
"He's a very nice guy, a very nice guy," Campbell said. "He works everyday and has his family around there."
Officer Ferrigno is currently on administrative duties as RPD does an internal investigation of the incident.
As of now no charges have been filed against the suspect, but Ciminelli said those will be forth coming.