A
day after a New York state trooper's good aim put an end to fugitive
inmate David Sweat's escape bid, the convicted murderer remained in
critical condition Monday, receiving treatment under the watchful eye of
law enforcement and security guards, a hospital official said.
And,
for the first time in more than three weeks, upstate New York residents
awoke to a day that wouldn't involve navigating police roadblocks or
the fear of encountering a desperate and dangerous escapee with little
to lose.
"It's just been really hard on
everybody," said Steve Lashway, who owns a meat market near Clinton
Correctional Facility, the prison from which Sweat and fellow inmate
Richard Matt escaped. "It lasted 23 days, but I think it probably felt
like 23 weeks to most people."
On Twitter, area resident Kate Messner echoed the sentiment.
"It's been a long 23 days, but this morning, the woods just feel like woods again," she said.
The 22-day manhunt for Sweat ended Sunday
when the fugitive was spotted just 2 miles from the Canadian border. He
made it closer to Canada than his fellow escapee. Matt was found and killed Friday near Malone, New York.
New York State Police Sgt. Jay Cook spotted Sweat near a barn in the sleepy New York town of Constable. Sweat bolted, and the officer gave chase.
"At
some point, running across a field, he realized that Sweat was going to
make it to a tree line, and possibly could have disappeared, and he
fired two shots," New York State Police Superintendent Joseph A. D'Amico
told reporters.
Sweat, who was unarmed, was struck twice in the torso. No one else was hurt.
He
is being treated in a secure area at Albany Medical Center, according
to the hospital official, who declined to be identified. "Multiple
people" from law enforcement and hospital security are guarding him, the
official said. The hospital has a security team that is trained to
react to trauma situations to ensure the safety of both patients and
staff, the official said.
Authorities and local residents praised Cook's actions, calling him a hero for bringing Sweat in.
His actions were appropriate, Maj. Charles Guess of the New York State Police told CNN's "New Day" on Monday.
He
positively identified Sweat, repeatedly commanded him to stop, engaged
him in a lengthy foot chase and only shot him after coming to the
conclusion that he was close to disappearing behind the tree line, Guess
said.
Ed Gavin, former deputy warden for the New York City Department of Corrections, agreed the trooper was justified.
"Article
35 of the (New York) penal law permits you to use deadly physical force
to stop a fleeing felon who is either charged with a felony or
convicted of a felony," Gavin said. "So the police officer was spot on."
A photo exclusively obtained by CNN
shows Sweat in custody moments after his capture. He appears bloodied in
the photo and is wearing a camouflage outfit, not prison garb.
"I can only assume he was going for the border, that he was that close," D'Amico said.
D'Amico said investigators haven't yet interviewed Sweat, but that they hope to soon.
It's
critically important that Sweat stay alive, officials said, so
authorities can learn exactly how he and Matt escaped -- and who helped
them.
But for now, "the nightmare is
finally over," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. "We wish it didn't
happen in the first place. But if you have to have it happen, this is
how you want it to end."
Guess praised
what he called "dogged determination" among investigating agencies and a
"full court press" that led to Sweat's capture.
Source : edition.cnn.com
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