SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) — An argument in the bar between a group from Utica and an off-duty sheriff deputy escalated into a confrontation between Saratoga Springs Police and the off-duty deputy.

Responding police officers encountered an armed man and ordered him eight times to put down his gun and get on the ground. The armed man was an off-duty Rutland County Sheriff deputy. When the armed man turned toward the police officers and refused to comply with their orders, the police opened fire. One report shows that the deputy was hit ten times. The deputy’s girlfriend, who was at the scene, was reported to have suffered a minor wound.

One version of the incident says that the Vermont deputy got into an argument with a group of people reported to be from the Utica area. A verbal disagreement became a physical confrontation. The deputy was thrown into a parked car and fell to the ground. As he was getting up, the deputy showed that he had a gun. Someone in the group showed that they too were armed. The two parties reportedly exchanged gunfire.

Saratoga Springs police were nearby, heard the gunfire, and responded to the scene. That is when the confrontation between the police and the deputy occurred. The incident happened shortly after 3:00 AM, Sunday, near Broadway and Caroline Street in Saratoga Springs.

The Saratoga Springs Public Safety Commissioner said, in an afternoon press conference, that it appeared that the off-duty deputy shot two people in the group from Utica. Commissioner James Montagnino said that one of the Utica people suffered serious injuries. No other information or identities regarding the group reportedly from the Utica area has been released.

The investigation is ongoing and Eyewitness News will update you when new information becomes available.

Below is ‘City Camera’ footage from the incident. Viewer discretion is advised.