State investigators have cleared an Oswego County sheriff’s deputy in the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Miles Dignean, concluding they could not establish that a crime occurred. The decision comes as Dignean’s family in Constantia and members of the community continue to question how law enforcement responds to people in crisis.
The New York attorney general’s Office of Special Investigation announced that it will not pursue criminal charges in the March 21, 2025 shooting, which occurred during a struggle inside a garage in Constantia. Investigators said the deputy fired after Miles Dignean allegedly swung a heavy metal C-clamp and struck a state trooper as officers attempted to remove his 3-year-old son under an order of protection. The decision by the Office of Special Investigation concludes the criminal inquiry, while broader policy questions remain for local officials and the family.
As detailed by the Attorney General’s Office, investigators reviewed body-worn camera footage, ballistics evidence, interviews with responding officers and medical records. They concluded that "a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officer’s actions were justified under New York law." The report says the encounter began at 12:48 p.m. on March 21, 2025, when Oswego County deputies and New York State Police troopers went to the Constantia home to serve an order of protection and conduct a welfare check.
According to Daily Voice, previously released portions of body camera footage from Deputy Corey Whitney and Trooper Junyla Sabari show the struggle inside the garage leading up to the shooting. The outlet reports that an autopsy found Dignean died from multiple gunshot wounds and that toxicology tests detected methamphetamine and THC in his system. Daily Voice also notes that Deputy Charles Costello - who had arrived to serve the order of protection - was not equipped with a body-worn camera.
Policy Recommendations And Body Cameras
The OSI report does more than clear the deputy. It also calls for changes in how departments in Oswego County and across the state gear up for crisis calls. Investigators urged Oswego County and all police agencies to equip officers with body-worn cameras, finding that the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office did not have a written policy at the time for responding to people in crisis. The report recommends improved training and asks state lawmakers to pass Daniel’s Law, which would create non-police crisis response teams and a public-health-based system for addressing mental health and substance-use emergencies.
Family Reaction And Lingering Questions
Dignean’s relatives said the decision does little to ease their loss. His father, Alton Dignean, told WSYR that officers shot and killed his son. Family members have urged witnesses to come forward and have called for a review of how officers handled the confrontation.
The Oswego County Sheriff’s Office has asked anyone with information about the incident to contact investigators, and the community is now left to absorb the OSI findings while debating what, if anything, should change in how similar calls are handled.
What The Law Says
Under New York State Senate Penal Law § 35.30, a police or peace officer may use deadly physical force when the officer reasonably believes it is necessary to defend against the use or imminent use of deadly physical force, or in certain felony situations. OSI said the available evidence, including the trooper’s head injury and the video footage it reviewed, meant a prosecutor would likely be unable to disprove the officer’s claimed justification beyond a reasonable doubt, the legal threshold required to bring criminal charges.
The attorney general’s report closes the criminal case but leaves its recommendations on the table. Lawmakers, county officials and the Dignean family now face a longer fight over whether new policies, equipment and training can head off similar tragedies in Oswego County and across New York.
