Suspect accused of shooting NY trooper caught after massive manhunt
An upstate man accused of shooting a state trooper during a gun battle with cops was taken into custody Thursday following a massive, day-long manhunt by authorities.
Jason Johnson, 34, was picked up by authorities shortly after 4:30 p.m. in Broome County, state police said on Twitter.
Johnson allegedly opened fire on troopers who were carrying out a welfare check shortly after 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in Colesville, about 15 miles northeast of Binghamton, state police said in a press release.
Police had warned that Johnson “is considered armed and dangerous,” the release said. “Do not approach him and call 911 immediately.”
State Trooper Becky Seager, a seven-year veteran of the department, was shot in the hip before Johnson fled in a 1996 Ford F-250 pickup truck, police said.
A Broome County deputy drove the wounded trooper to an ambulance, which rushed Seager to Wilson Memorial Hospital in Johnson City with non-life-threatening injuries.
A massive police deployment had joined the manhunt for Johnson, including Broome County sheriff’s deputies and Binghamton police, including a SWAT team.
“Numerous law enforcement agencies continue to comb the area,” police said prior to his arrest.
