State Police: Wounded trooper out of hospital, gunman is dead
Trooper from Cobleskill stopped alleged speeder on I-88. Passenger fired at lawman. Dead gunman identified as Nelson Troche, 32, of Schenectady
Mike Goodwin, Paul Nelson
June 16, 2023Updated: June 16, 2023 8:37 p.m.
State Police released this still frame from Trooper Richard Albert’s body-worn camera of the moment he approached the vehicle June 16, 2023 on I-88 and was shot at, police said.
New York State Police
DUANESBURG — A state trooper making a traffic stop along I-88 Friday was shot in the arm, and a passenger who fired the gun fled, shot himself and died, State Police said.
Trooper Richard Albert, assigned to the Cobleskill station, was released later in the day from Ellis Hospital. Albert, who has 21 years on the force, was patrolling the highway in a marked police vehicle at about 11 a.m. when he saw a silver SUV racing at more than 100 mph in the eastbound lanes in the town of Duanesburg, State Police Deputy Superintendent Richard Allen said.
The trooper pulled the vehicle over and as he approached the driver's side of the car, the passenger, a man, fired through an open window, hitting Albert in the upper left arm and shoulder area, police said.
The trooper returned fire and the occupants left the vehicle. The gunman fled and the woman who was driving the car was taken into custody uninjured and without incident at the scene, Allen said. Police were still trying to determine the nature of their relationship Friday evening. State Police also applied for a warrant to search the SUV.
The gunman, identified as Nelson Troche, 32, of Schenectady, was found about an hour and a half later in a wooded area off Darby Hill Road in Duanesburg with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Troopers said they provided medical aid until EMS arrived and took him to Albany Medical Center via a helicopter but he died at the hospital.
The shooting points out the inherent dangers of police work and how quickly a seemingly routine traffic stop can turn violent, he added.
State Police commanders have viewed the body-worn camera footage of the encounter and said Albert handled it properly.
“Every time we stop a car, go to a complaint, we know in the back of our minds this could happen,” Allen said. “ I can’t express it enough how well I think our troopers handled this, right from Trooper Albert to the search for the suspect in the wooded area afterward, I think our guys did a phenomenal job, and it was textbook the way it was handled.
“He had no interaction with either occupant prior to being shot at,” Allen said, adding that police have a still photo of the gun coming out the window.
Allen also credited the quick thinking of the driver of a log truck who pulled in front of the SUV so it couldn’t take off.
The highway was closed between Exit 23 in Schoharie and Exit 24 in Duanesburg.
The State Troopers Police Benevolent Association expressed its concern in a statement.
“Every call for help is unpredictable and no day is ever ‘routine,’ the union wrote in a statement Friday afternoon. ‘Our thoughts and prayers are with Trooper Richard Albert, who was shot by a suspect during this incident, and we are thankful that he is expected to recover from his injuries.’
“One of our troopers was shot in the line of duty during a traffic stop today,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Twitter. “Thankfully, he is expected to recover. My thoughts are with our trooper’s family and loved ones.”
Earlier Friday, Dennis and Christine Wolfe, who run Wolfe’s Market & Pizza store, recalled getting a call from the State Police urging them to shelter in place because of an active shooter in the area.
Not long after that, Dennis, who also serves as the chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners for the Quaker Street Fire District, said the area was flooded with one police car after the other thundering up Darby Hill Road to a heavily wooded area. He said the search for the suspected shooter also included canines and a helicopter.
It is the second time in less than a month that a local law enforcement officer has been shot.
Two Saratoga County sheriff’s deputies were shot and wounded May 23 after obtaining a federal warrant and searching an apartment in Clifton Park.
Anthony Zaremski, 23, shot at the two deputies. The deputies returned fire, killing him. At the time of his death, Zaremski was a suspect in at least one unsolved Albany homicide and possibly other shootings, sources said.
The raid of the Clifton Park apartment where Zaremski was staying was part of a series of DEA-led searches that morning targeting multiple Capital Region residences. The raids netted 40 firearms, more than a kilogram of cocaine and tens of thousands of illicit pills that included methamphetamine and fentanyl. Three other people face charges.
Robert Gavin and Tim Blydenburgh contributed to this story
Trooper from Cobleskill stopped alleged speeder on I-88. Passenger fired at lawman. Dead gunman identified as Nelson Troche, 32, of Schenectady
Mike Goodwin, Paul Nelson
June 16, 2023Updated: June 16, 2023 8:37 p.m.
State Police released this still frame from Trooper Richard Albert’s body-worn camera of the moment he approached the vehicle June 16, 2023 on I-88 and was shot at, police said.
New York State Police
DUANESBURG — A state trooper making a traffic stop along I-88 Friday was shot in the arm, and a passenger who fired the gun fled, shot himself and died, State Police said.
Trooper Richard Albert, assigned to the Cobleskill station, was released later in the day from Ellis Hospital. Albert, who has 21 years on the force, was patrolling the highway in a marked police vehicle at about 11 a.m. when he saw a silver SUV racing at more than 100 mph in the eastbound lanes in the town of Duanesburg, State Police Deputy Superintendent Richard Allen said.
The trooper pulled the vehicle over and as he approached the driver's side of the car, the passenger, a man, fired through an open window, hitting Albert in the upper left arm and shoulder area, police said.
The trooper returned fire and the occupants left the vehicle. The gunman fled and the woman who was driving the car was taken into custody uninjured and without incident at the scene, Allen said. Police were still trying to determine the nature of their relationship Friday evening. State Police also applied for a warrant to search the SUV.
The gunman, identified as Nelson Troche, 32, of Schenectady, was found about an hour and a half later in a wooded area off Darby Hill Road in Duanesburg with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Troopers said they provided medical aid until EMS arrived and took him to Albany Medical Center via a helicopter but he died at the hospital.
The shooting points out the inherent dangers of police work and how quickly a seemingly routine traffic stop can turn violent, he added.
State Police commanders have viewed the body-worn camera footage of the encounter and said Albert handled it properly.
“Every time we stop a car, go to a complaint, we know in the back of our minds this could happen,” Allen said. “ I can’t express it enough how well I think our troopers handled this, right from Trooper Albert to the search for the suspect in the wooded area afterward, I think our guys did a phenomenal job, and it was textbook the way it was handled.
“He had no interaction with either occupant prior to being shot at,” Allen said, adding that police have a still photo of the gun coming out the window.
Allen also credited the quick thinking of the driver of a log truck who pulled in front of the SUV so it couldn’t take off.
The highway was closed between Exit 23 in Schoharie and Exit 24 in Duanesburg.
The State Troopers Police Benevolent Association expressed its concern in a statement.
“Every call for help is unpredictable and no day is ever ‘routine,’ the union wrote in a statement Friday afternoon. ‘Our thoughts and prayers are with Trooper Richard Albert, who was shot by a suspect during this incident, and we are thankful that he is expected to recover from his injuries.’
“One of our troopers was shot in the line of duty during a traffic stop today,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Twitter. “Thankfully, he is expected to recover. My thoughts are with our trooper’s family and loved ones.”
Earlier Friday, Dennis and Christine Wolfe, who run Wolfe’s Market & Pizza store, recalled getting a call from the State Police urging them to shelter in place because of an active shooter in the area.
Not long after that, Dennis, who also serves as the chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners for the Quaker Street Fire District, said the area was flooded with one police car after the other thundering up Darby Hill Road to a heavily wooded area. He said the search for the suspected shooter also included canines and a helicopter.
It is the second time in less than a month that a local law enforcement officer has been shot.
Two Saratoga County sheriff’s deputies were shot and wounded May 23 after obtaining a federal warrant and searching an apartment in Clifton Park.
Anthony Zaremski, 23, shot at the two deputies. The deputies returned fire, killing him. At the time of his death, Zaremski was a suspect in at least one unsolved Albany homicide and possibly other shootings, sources said.
The raid of the Clifton Park apartment where Zaremski was staying was part of a series of DEA-led searches that morning targeting multiple Capital Region residences. The raids netted 40 firearms, more than a kilogram of cocaine and tens of thousands of illicit pills that included methamphetamine and fentanyl. Three other people face charges.
Robert Gavin and Tim Blydenburgh contributed to this story
