Gunman with Rifle Opens Fire Outside N.Y. State Police Barracks
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By Brendan J. Lyons
Source Times Union, Albany, N.Y.
MALTA, NY — A man who opened fire with a high-powered rifle outside a State Police barracks on Route 9 in Saratoga County died Wednesday afternoon after being struck by return fire from multiple troopers who exited the building and engaged the suspect.
The shooting took place at about 1:45 p.m. after a man driving a burgundy Nissan pickup truck pulled into a parking area of the barracks that is normally reserved for State Police vehicles.
The suspect is 69-year-old David M. Levine of Malta, who lived about 5 miles north of the barracks. Court records indicate Levine has subdivided property he owns in that area in recent years, and also has had financial difficulties. Two years ago, Levine was the subject of litigation filed by lenders claiming he had defaulted on loans or failed to pay off other credit debts.
State Police confirmed Levine's identity at a news conference Wednesday night at the Wilton barracks. But they did not reveal any details about what may have led up to the shooting.
"Troopers instructed Mr. Levine to drop the firearm," said Troop G Maj. Christopher Gilroy. " Mr. Levine refused to follow multiple commands and aimed the gun in the direction of troopers, at which time the troopers fired their department-issued firearms, fatally striking him."
He said "the incident was captured by multiple body-worn cameras but due to the active investigation, body-worn camera footage will not be released at this time."
Officials with the state attorney general's office, which is empowered to investigate incidents in which civilians are killed during encounters with police, were at the scene of the shooting, Gilroy added.
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State Police and Saratoga County sheriff's deputies shut down Route 9 in both directions in the aftermath of the shooting. Dozens of troopers and investigators, as well as medical personnel, were on the scene for several hours Wednesday afternoon. Their work included gathering forensic evidence inside and outside the barracks, as well as reviewing body camera footage.
No troopers were injured during the shooting incident.
Crime scene technicians were combing through the burgundy Nissan pickup truck — its passenger-side window shattered — in the middle of the barracks parking lot about 30 yards from the north side of the building. The truck has a handicap-access New York license plate and a military veteran sticker on the back.
One of the lenders who filed a claim against the truck's owner was Navy Federal Credit Union.
The barracks is a converted one-story brick residence about a block south of Route 67 in the heart of Malta. It has been a State Police barracks for decades.
"The preliminary investigation has determined that a male subject arrived at ( State Police) Malta on Route 9, with a hunting-style rifle, and fired several rounds at the barracks," the agency said in a statement posted about 45 minutes after the Times Union reported details of the shooting. "Troopers then exited the barracks and engaged the suspect, fatally wounding the individual."
Susan Mehalick contributed reporting for this story.
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