Cops Kill Prison Escapee Richard Matt

Other fugitive, David Sweat, still at large
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 26, 2015 3:34 PM CDT
Updated Jun 26, 2015 5:00 PM CDT
Reports: Cops Shoot Prison Escapee Richard Matt
David Sweat, left, and Richard Matt.   (New York State Police via AP, File)

The bid for freedom is over for at least one of the escaped inmates in New York state. Multiple outlets including the New York Post, CNN, and the New York Times say police have shot and killed Richard Matt. The other fugitive, David Sweat, was reportedly being chased in the wilderness near Lake Titus in the Franklin County town of Malone. That's about 50 miles west of the prison in Dannemora from which they escaped three weeks ago. Authorities say they zeroed in on Matt after he tried to carjack a camper vehicle in Malone, only to have the driver speed away and call 911. Matt may have shot at the driver, reports CNN.

As for Sweat, he's now the focus of an intense and growing manhunt. “They don’t have eyes on the guy, but they have a three-mile perimeter around the area,” one source tells the Times. (Earlier today, police said they'd found "significant" items from the men and had honed their search accordingly.)

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