ALBANY — The 97-year-old mother of a man accused of holding her hostage in a room at Albany Medical Center Hospital Monday has died.
Albany police spokesman Steve Smith confirmed the woman died on Tuesday, the day after the incident. WNYT first reported the information.
The woman’s 61-year-old son, Dino Savoca, is charged in the case that caused Albany Med to be locked down for about four hours Monday.
Police said Savoca threatened a person with what appeared to be a handgun; the worker had arrived around 2:30 p.m. Monday to take Savoca’s mother to another facility. Savoca then barricaded himself in the hospital room with his mother on the third floor of Building C, police said.
Police later said it was a BB gun that Savoca used to threatened the transport worker. However, police said Tuesday they also found a loaded shotgun with one live round in the room after they took Savoca into custody around 7 p.m. Monday.
Smith said he could not comment on the woman’s cause of death. “The incident in its entirety remains an ongoing and active investigation,” he wrote to the Times Union.
At Savoca’s arraignment Tuesday in Albany City Court, Albany County Assistant District Attorney Taylor Cupp said Savoca was charged with kidnapping and holding an individual identified only as “RA” in her room, preventing her from receiving medical treatment at risk of injury.
Savoca was arraigned on felony charges of kidnapping and criminal possession of a weapon and misdemeanor menacing. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was jailed on $50,000 bail. He remained there Wednesday.
Savoca’s attorney, county Public Defender Eric Kauppila, said his client had kept a close relationship with his mother his entire life.
Police said investigators searching Savoca’s Colonie home on Monday also…
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