Police: Man dead after Gloversville standoff was growing marijuana

PHOTOGRAPHER: Photo Provided

SWAT team on location at the North Main Street residence in Gloversville while a man is inside with a shotgun.

GLOVERSVILLE — A man found dead in his apartment after a brief standoff with police also had a large marijuana growing operation, police said Monday.

Police identified the man as Devin J. Fierro, 30, of 312 N. Main St., Apt. 3. Fierro was also known as Devin J. McCullough, police said.

Police said Fierro killed himself with a shotgun during the standoff, which began shortly before noon Friday, after police received reports of a man threatening passing motorists with a shotgun, apparently trying to get inside their cars, police said.

Fierro also was seen going in and out of his apartment with the shotgun, police said.

A portion of North Main Street was shut down during the standoff, which ended when a tactical team went into the apartment and found Fierro dead.

Police found marijuana plants growing in three rooms in the apartment and seized four 55-gallon garbage bags of mature marijuana plants, police said.

Police also found a semi-automatic 12-gauge shotgun, along with about 20 rounds of ammunition. Fierro was not legally able to possess the gun, due to a 2007 felony conviction for unlawful sale of marijuana, and police were continuing to investigate how he obtained the weapon.

The 2007 case was out of Saratoga County, and resulted in Fierro, then known as McCullough, being sentenced to a year in jail, according to court records.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting in the investigation. State police, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Johnstown Police Department and other agencies also assisted in the investigation.