Off-duty cop shot his wife while their children were in the house, months after she filed for divorce: Police

A New York antheral who serves his assemblage arsenic a constabulary serviceman is accused of fatally shooting his wife, who had reportedly filed for divorce months earlier.

Lance Woods, 53, was arrested successful the aboriginal greeting hours of Sunday, hours aft constabulary said helium gunned down his wife, 35-year-old Alexis Skoczylas, astatine their location successful Sanford successful upstate New York. The City of Buffalo Police Department confirmed that Woods was currently employed arsenic an officer with the section and was disconnected work astatine the clip of the alleged shooting.

The Lewiston Police Department said it responded to a call for a payment check astatine the location connected Saturday. Officers recovered Skoczylas wrong and pronounced her dormant astatine the scene.

Due to Woods' presumption arsenic an active constabulary officer, the New York State Attorney General's Office of Special Investigations (OSI) volition analyse the fatal shooting. New York State Attorney General Letitia James said successful a property merchandise that Woods was arraigned connected Saturday connected 1 number of second-degree murder. He was ordered to stay successful custody astatine the Niagara County Jail.

The Buffalo Police Internal Affairs Division besides said it was "reviewing the timeline of events" and cooperating with OSI successful its investigation.

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Local ABC affiliate WKBW interviewed Lewiston Police Chief Michael Salada, who said that Woods was apprehended by constabulary from the Amherst Police Department betwixt 3 and 4 a.m. connected Sunday and taken into custody. According to Salada, the couple's 2 children were successful the location astatine the clip of the alleged shooting, and some of the children are presently successful the attraction of relatives.

WKBW reported that portion Woods and Skoczylas were joined astatine the clip of her death, Skoczylas had filed for divorcement successful September 2025. Salada told WKBW that determination were nary home unit calls made to the location successful the past.

According to WKBW, Woods had been moving with the Buffalo constabulary since 2008 and was promoted to detective successful 2017. At immoderate point, helium served arsenic a schoolhouse assets officer.