Trooper Wounded in Kirkwood Shootout Cleared for Duty
New York State Trooper Timothy Conklin is ready for duty again after being wounded in a shootout with a suspect on January 28 on Route 17 in Kirkwood.
Trooper Conklin suffered a wound to the arm after exchanging gunfire with 30-year-old Nicholas Philhower. Authorities said the Windsor man began shooting at the trooper with a military-style semi-automatic rifle as the officer tried to pull him over in his mother’s vehicle, which had been reported stolen. Trooper Conklin returned fire through the windshield of his squad car as the gunman advanced toward him. Philhower was killed while Conklin sustained a wound to the arm from flying shrapnel.
The Broome County District Attorney has determined Trooper Conklin was justified in using deadly force to defend his life and the life of others.
Officials say Philhower had mental issues and methamphetamine was found in his system.
One chilling detail that was released by authorities this week is that the seasoned trooper had been conducting training in days leading up to the deadly shooting and would have been seated in the passenger side of the squad car if that training had still been in session. That side of the interior of the patrol vehicle was riddled with bullet holes.