New York Escapee, Richard Matt, Shot And Killed By Law Enforcement
Escaped prisoner and murderer Richard Matt was shot and seriously wounded by law enforcement, knowledgable sources told The Daily Beast. Since this story first broke, Matt has been pronounced dead.
One of two escaped prisoners, Matt was shot near Lake Titus, New York. This area is one that has been heavily searched by law enforcement during their search for the escaped prisoners.
Their had been reports that the escaped prisoners were headed towards the Canadian border, but that does not seem to be the case.
The second escaped prisoner, David Sweat, is currently still at large, but a ground search is underway because they believe Sweat is nearby, reports CNN. There are currently 1,100 officers involved in this nearly three-week manhunt.
Sweat is believed to be armed and is being searched for by canine units. Also, a line of officers are slowly pushing through a wooded area where they believe Sweat is located.
State routes 30 and 41 are the perimeters of the area, near the northern edge of Lake Titus.
Richard Matt, who was serving 25-years in prison for killing and dismembering his former boss, apparently charmed prison guards with portraits of celebrities and was quite the ladies’ man.
The location of where Matt was shot is approximately 10 miles west of where he and fellow escapee David Sweat had broken into a cabin, and 20 miles from the prison from which they originally escaped.
Sweat and Matt escaped from prison with tools allegedly provided by prison worker Joyce Mitchell via corrections officer Gene Palmer. These tools were allegedly hidden in frozen meat.
Joyce Mitchell has been arrested for her involvement in the escape. Mitchell planned to escape with the prisoners after they were able to make their way out of the maximum security prison. She was charmed by the portraits created by Matt.
In regards to the shooting and killing of one of the dangerous escapees, residents in the back woods of Franklin County are ecstatic.
“Oh my gosh. If this is true, I’m elated. I’m relieved,” said Gabe DiBernardo, the retired North Tonawanda Police detective chief who headed the investigation that led to Matt’s imprisonment for murder, according The Buffalo News.
“I have been worried for the public, for the police and for people here in the Buffalo area who have had trouble with Matt and have been threatened by him in the past. I have been worried that he would come back and do harm to people that testified against him…I’ve been worried that some poor citizen would be hurt by this guy.”
[Image Source: New York Daily News]
