By the time Rochester police officer Nicole Amatore arrived at the scene of a domestic violence call in the 19th Ward just days before Christmas last year, three of her fellow officers had been shot.
It was snowing sideways and police radios screeched with the harrowing chaos.
With the suspect in sight, Amatore leaped from her police cruiser, took cover behind a nearby tree and fired four rounds that would end up killing the gunman. He fired back, striking the tree she was hiding behind.
Amatore was named New York's 2026 Police Officer of the Year on Sept. 22.
"It takes tremendous courage and integrity for police officers to suit up each day and put themselves in harm's way to protect others," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement announcing the award.
"It takes even more to remain calm and act quickly and decisively in the face of a deadly threat."
Amatore has been with the Rochester Police Department since 2019. Shortly after the shootout, Chief David Smith said body-worn camera footage that captured the exchange reflected the tough reality of police work.
"If you're watching it, it is very easy for you at any given moment to click pause and say to yourself, 'What would I have done here?' There is no pause when this is in real life," he said. "There is no opportunity for these officers to hit pause. There is no opportunity for these officers to say, 'I tap out. I don't want to do this anymore.'"
He called Amatore a hero who embodied the highest ideals of the law enforcement profession.
The shooting remains under investigation by the New York Attorney General's Office.
Amatore is also a finalist for a national award by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
― Kayla Canne covers community safety for the Democrat and Chronicle with a focus on immigration, police accountability, government surveillance and how people are impacted by violence. Follow her on Instagram @bykaylacanne. Get in touch at kcanne@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: She stopped a gunman who injured 3 cops. Meet NY's Officer of the Year
