What to Know
- Bill Nojay served in the Assembly the last four years
- He was twice rated the state's most conservative legislator
- Local media reported he was facing the possibility of fraud charges
Upstate New York Assemblyman and outspoken conservative Bill Nojay committed suicide Friday morning.
Rochester police say an officer responding to a 911 call saw Nojay die Friday morning from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the city's Riverside Cemetery.
NBC affiliate WHEC in Rochester had previously reported the Republican was facing the possibility of fraud charges over a business deal in Cambodia, and said he was due to turn himself in Friday in that case.
A person answering the phones at his district office in Pittsford confirmed that Nojay had died but said she could not comment further.
Nojay represented a variety of towns in Livingston, Monroe and Steuben counties. Last year, the Conservative Party of New York named him the state's most conservative legislator, as it did in 2013.
First elected to the Assembly in Nov. 2012, Nojay faced a primary Tuesday against Honeoye Falls Mayor Richard Milne. A party official says it's too late to remove Nojay's name from the ballot.
Local
Nojay had a "Support the Second Amendment" fundraiser scheduled for this Saturday in Lakeville, with a number of gun companies as sponsors.
"On behalf of all NY'ers, I extend our deepest condolences to Assemblyman Nojay's family, friends & constituents during this trying time," Gov. Andrew Cuomo tweeted Friday afternoon.
Nojay was a lawyer by training who specialized in small business issues; he also hosted a radio show and volunteered as a paramedic. He was married with three grown childen.
