Yorkville PD Officer Arrested for Accidental Firearm Discharge

The Frankfort Police have finally announced an arrest and the identity of the individual responsible for an accidental firearm discharge at an Elementary School Open House event.

For weeks now the public in Frankfort and members of the Frankfort-Schuyler School District community has anxiously awaited answers to the simple question, who is going to be held responsible for a firearm going off on school grounds, with a large crowd and that resulted in the injury of a child.

On Friday Frankfort Police Chief Matthew Palumbo, 17 days after the initial event, released a statement on the Frankfort Police Department Facebook page detailing the event. According to the release, the School Resource Officer assigned to the Frankfort-Schuyler Elementary School the night of September 3rd, was alerted to the "shots fired" incident that occurred outside of the school building. Police say the suspect was immediately identified as Benedict Rotundo Jr.

Benedict Rotundo Jr. is a licensed and active member of the Yorkville Police Department and is the son of the former Utica Police Chief Benedict Rotundo Sr. Police say in their release,

Due to his standing as a licensed and active Police Officer, Rotundo was authorized to carry a concealed weapon on school grounds at the time of the incident. The investigation further determined that the discharge of the firearm and the subsequent injuries sustained were not a direct result of an intentional act of violence towards either of the victims. However, the firearm that was possessed by Rotundo was not registered on his New York State Pistol Permit or a New York State C-form.

As a result of this unfortunate incident, Rotundo Jr, was arrested on Friday, September 17th, 2024 and charged with "failure to report/register the acquisition of a firearm," which is a class A misdemeanor.

Frankfort Police are reminding the public Rotundo Jr, is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Police say they want to thank the Herkimer County District Attorney’s office, Mohawk Valley Crime Analysis Center and the Frankfort-Schuyler School District for all of their assistance throughout this investigation in their efforts to keep children and the community safe.

If there are more details released, we will be sure to pass them along to our audience.

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