CANANDAIGUA — An Elmira man accused of seriously injuring a woman in a shooting led police on a pursuit from Canandaigua to Geneva before crashing his car Wednesday afternoon, Canandaigua Police Chief Matt Nielsen said.
Spencer D. Wayne, 50, was charged with second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault, he said.
Nielsen said that about 2:51 p.m., police responded to a multi-family residence on Center Street for a report of a person who had been shot. Upon arrival, officers found a 67-year-old woman inside her apartment who had been shot in the torso, said Nielsen.
He said the victim was treated at the scene for life-threatening injuries by the Canandaigua Emergency Squad and the Canandaigua Fire Department and was subsequently taken by Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, where she remains in critical condition, said Nielsen.
“Officers secured the scene and quickly learned of a suspect and vehicle description observed fleeing the area by several witnesses,” he said. “The description was then broadcast to the other neighboring law enforcement agencies.”
A short time later, said Nielsen, an Ontario County sheriff’s deputy saw the suspect’s vehicle entering the town of Geneva on Routes 5&20. When the deputy attempted to stop Wayne, he fled, and a pursuit ensued into the city of Geneva, with deputies, Geneva Police and State Police all involved, Nielsen said.
The pursuit ended when Wayne’s vehicle collided with a utility pole and a parked vehicle on Milton Street, said Nielsen, resulting in a foot pursuit.
“The suspect was apprehended a short distance from the crash, and a loaded handgun was located inside the vehicle,” he said.
Wayne was taken to the Ontario County Jail pending arraignment at CAP Court.
Nielsen said the investigation continues, and that additional charges are pending.