A New York State Trooper and another man are hospitalized after a wild shootout Thursday morning in the Adirondacks.
It happened around 1:30 on Kildare Road in Tupper Lake. Police say Troopers Douglas Hoffman and Steven Euler were checking on a vehicle that was parked alongside the road. As they approached the vehicle, 48-year-old Brent Bates, of Plattsburgh, got out of the vehicle and began talking to them.
The troopers then asked Bates for more information. That's when he went back to his car accompanied by them. That's when the troopers noticed a gun on the front seat.
Investigators say the troopers tried to restrain Bates at that time, but he was able to get to the gun, and fired it at Hoffman striking him in the calf.
The troopers fired back and hit Bates multiple times. He is being treated at the Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake.
No charges have been filed yet.
Hoffman is the second New York State Trooper in upstate New York to be shot on the line of duty.
29-year-old Amanda Reif was shot twice while answering a domestic violence call in Potsdam in June.
She is recovering at home.
Bullet holes in the cars give strong evidence of what took place on Kildare Road about five miles northwest of Tupper Lake.
Police investigators have been on the scene all day piecing together the incidents that took place here.
Officials said that troopers were on routine patrol when they became suspicious of a parked car in this isolated area.
As troopers approached the car a man stepped out of it. Police questioned him. When he returned to his car to get more information police noticed a hand gun under the seat. Both Trooper Douglas Hoffman and Bates went for the gun. Bates retrieved the gun and shots were exchanged.
"A struggle ensued. Our men retreated for cover at which point the occupant of the vehicle Brent bates, 48, of plats, fired a 357 magnum hand gun about six rounds," says Superintendent Preston Fenton of the N.Y. State Police.
Trooper Hoffman was hit in the leg. He and Trooper Steven Euler returned fire -- hitting Bates twice in the lower abdomen and once in the jaw.
Both Hoffman and Bates were taken to the Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake. Bates is reported in serious condition. Hoffman's injuries are not life-threatening.
Police said that Bates has a long record of illegal activity.
"It appears the firearm he was using was stolen, that happened yesterday. The vehicle he was driving was stolen from a location yesterday," says Fenton.
"Our office is confident with bates being charged with two counts of murder in the first degree for the alleged conduct early this morning," says Derek Champagne, Franklin County District Attorney.
Police say that illegal handguns are becoming an increasing problem in the state and even on a routine patrol anything can happen.
Prosecutors say it's unclear when Bates will be formally charged with a crime. It will depend on his condition.
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