CORNING – New York State Trooper Nicholas Clark, 29, was fatally wounded early Monday morning after responding to a suicidal person barricaded inside his residence.
Trooper Clark was among the responders to a 3:30 a.m. 911 call that sent law enforcement to 10041 Welch Road.
“This is a terrible loss for the New York State Police,” NYSP First Deputy Superintendent Chris Fiore said at a Monday afternoon news conference in Painted Post. Governor Andrew Cuomo was also in attendance.
Troopers along with Steuben County Sheriff’s deputies and Corning police officers set up a perimeter and attempted crisis negotiation tactics, but failed to make contact with the suspect inside, according to Fiore.
The suspect, 49-year-old Steven Kiley, was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Fiore said the 911 call was made by Kiley’s estranged wife, who reported he was contemplating suicide and believed to be armed.
Authorities have not identified the weapon used in the trooper’s shooting, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Numerous State Police vehicles traveled from Steuben County to Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton, where an autopsy was expected to be conducted Monday afternoon.
Lourdes Hospital operations remained accessible to the public Monday, as around two dozen law enforcement vehicles were parked outside the hospital entrance by Riverside Drive.