Escaped inmate David Sweat may have been killed after reports indicate that he got into a gun battle with police not long after fellow escapee Richard Matt was also shot and killed.
The pair had escaped from a maximum security prison in the northern part of New York earlier this month, not far from the border with Canada. The two had been on the run for three weeks, and after initial reports that they may have moved into the state’s southern tier, police zeroed in on heavily wooded areas not far from the prison.
Police finally caught up with the pair on Friday, with Richard Matt being shot and killed by police.
There are conflicting reports as to what has happened to David Sweat. Some reports indicated that he is in a gun battle with police , with his fate unclear.
There is reportedly chatter on police scanners that David Sweat may have also been killed.
@JessicaLayton13 A man matching the description of David Sweat has just been shot and killed on Elephants Head in a wooded area
— Cody Folsom (@folsomc24) June 26, 2015
Others claimed that police are still in pursuit of Sweat and closing in.
DEVELOPING: Source: NY State Police believe they know “general vicinity” of fugitive David Sweat, “trying to close him off” – @AaronKatersky
— ABC News (@ABC) June 26, 2015
David Sweat was serving a life sentence for killing a sheriff’s deputy in Broome County in 2002, while Matt had a 25-year sentence for killing his former boss and dismembering the body.
Police said that prison worker Joyce Mitchell helped the pair by smuggling power tools into the prison and initially offering to serve as a getaway driver before getting cold feet and backing out.
“Joyce Mitchell tells us that was discussed between her and Matt and that upon their escape they were going to return back to Joyce Mitchell’s home at which time Matt and Sweat were going to kill her husband,” said Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie.
A lawyer for Joyce’s husband claimed that she wanted to back out, and the two in turn threatened to kill her husband.
“Toward the end, Joyce had told Lyle — and we have no reason to doubt it — that she told Sweat and Matt that she wasn’t going to go through with it,” said attorney Pete Dumas. “At that point, they threatened her by threatening Lyle, saying they were going to have someone on the outside do something to him or someone on the inside when he was back at work do something to him, so I think it was a point of control.”
Police have still not officially announced the fate of David Sweat, but Richard Matt has been confirmed shot and killed .
[Image via ABC News]