Published May 23rd, 2023
Two Saratoga County, New York deputy sheriffs were shot early Tuesday morning. At approximately 5:30 a.m., officers from the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office Special Operations Team and Narcotics Units were assisting Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents with service of a series of Federal arrest warrants as part of a months-long DEA investigation into narcotics and weapons trafficking. At one of the locations, as the officers announced their presence and entered the residence, an individual inside the residence opened fire. One deputy was struck in the thigh, shattering his femur. A second deputy was shot in the chest, but the round was stopped by the ballistic-resistant vest he was wearing. In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, the individual who opened fire on the deputies, later identified as the 23-year-old named in the arrest warrant, was struck and seriously wounded. One of the DEA agents, who was also trained as a medic, rendered aid to the suspect until he could be transported to the hospital, where he died from his injuries. Other officers applied a tourniquet to the injured officer’s leg, and he was also transported to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery for his injuries. The deputy who was shot in his ballistic-resistant vest was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and released.
