1 escaped murderer fatally shot in NY woods, other is on run
MALONE, N.Y. (AP) — The shooting death of one escaped killer brought new energy to a weeks-long hunt for a second escaped murderer as helicopters, search dogs and hundreds of law enforcement officers converged on a wooded area 30 miles from the prison.
"[...] our preference would always be to capture them alive," New York State Police Superintendent Joseph D'Amico told a news conference as he announced late Friday the killing hours earlier of Richard Matt, one of two escaped killers from an update maximum-security prison.
D'Amico said Matt was shot by a border patrol agent when he failed to comply with commands in the woods near a cabin where a shot had been fired earlier in the day at a camping trailer.
A second convicted murderer, David Sweat, has not been spotted since he escaped, though evidence was found a week ago indicating he was with Matt in a cabin that was burglarized about 3 miles from any paved roadway, the superintendent said.
Mitch Johnson said one of his best friends checked on his hunting cabin in Malone Friday afternoon and called police after noticing the scent of grape flavored gin as soon as he stepped into his cabin and spotting the bottle that had gone untouched for years resting on a kitchen table.
A pair of prison workers has been charged in connection with the inmates' escape.
On June 24, authorities charged Clinton correction officer Gene Palmer with promoting prison contraband, tampering with physical evidence and official misconduct.