In Malone, NY, a scene unlike anything
MALONE, N.Y. – A scene unlike anything the small northern New York town of Malone has experienced unfolded Friday night.
One prison escapee, on the run three weeks, shot dead; a second still at large but possibly surrounded; a media briefing by the governor and state police superintendent that grew to include townspeople captivated by the lengthy manhunt for two escaped killers.
Flanked by more than a dozen law-enforcement officers at the New York State Police barracks along New York State Route 11, just hours after one of the two escaped murderers was shot and killed by a federal Border Patrol agent from Vermont, Gov. Andrew Cuomo cautioned the community that a dangerous convict, David Sweat, should be considered extremely dangerous.
"That's why you see law enforcement from around the country here," the governor said.
Earlier in the day, fugitive Richard Matt was shot and killed in the woods near Malone and Duane.
RELATED: The latest on the manhunt for escaped killers
The two men broke out of the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora three weeks ago, cutting through the walls of their cells and through underground piping, and then crawling to freedom. They were discovered missing early June 6.
The governor's news conference Friday night, coupled with the intense manhunt that has included more than 1,000 officers, provided for a spectacle in this rural, heavily forested part of New York nestled near the Canadian border several hours west of Vermont. While several locals said they felt somewhat comforted by the large presence of law enforcement, many were looking wide-eyed at the sizable police and media presence that had suddenly engulfed their small community.
"It's pretty intense. Things like this don't happen around here. To be so close to home, it's shocking, just very shocking," said April Martin of Malone, who watched the news conference along with her husband and young child. "When you hear the helicopters, it's a little hard to sleep at night."
Other residents echoed similar sentiments.
"I've lived here all my life and I've never seen such a thing," Stephanie Bannon, also of Malone, said. "It's very unnerving and scary for the whole town. Having three in my family who are in law enforcement, and a son who is out there right now, actually, it's very scary, and I just pray that everybody gets safe, and nobody in law enforcement gets hurt."
Malone resident Brian Smith watched the media and the governor's news conference from a parking lot across State Route 11. He said the situation was unlike anything he had witnessed before.
"Never in my lifetime I have seen anything like this," said Smith, who added he felt safer with so many police officers were in town. "There's still one on the loose yet, so hopefully we get him soon. It's always in the back of your mind, so you're always looking around, just in case."
EARLIER: Senator: VT border agent killed escapee
Soon after the news conference ended, the sun set on this northern Adirondack town. The authorities were continuing their search for Sweat in the darkness. Several roadblocks had been set up in the area, including at Chasm Falls along Route 41 in Malone. A sizable media presence gathered there, a few hundred feet from the roadblock where armed officers stood.
Prior to the news conference, multiple police cars, vans and helicopters could be seen traveling through that area along Route 41.
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