Escaped New York prisoner shot dead by police

Convicted killer headed for Canada when cornered

A New York State police handout composite showing convicted murderers David Sweat (left) and Richard Matt. Reports suggest that Matt was killed by police on June 26th. Photograph: EPA/New York State police

Richard Matt, one of two prisoners who escaped from a maximum security prison in New York three weeks ago, was shot and killed by police on Friday, the New York Times has reported.

Matt was shot in the vicinity of Lake Titus, New York, near the Canadian border.The second escapee, David Sweat, is still on the run, with police in close pursuit, according to CNN.

Dozens of law enforcement vehicles were converging on an area south of Malone, 43 km (27 miles) northwest of the Clinton Correctional Facility, from which the pair staged an elaborate escape that was discovered on June 6th. The two convicted killers were believed to have been headed for Canada after searchers in the third week of the manhunt found items they had dropped, police said.

DNA testing on the undisclosed items was under way to see if it matched Sweat and Matt, said New York state police major Charles Guess. “They dropped some items and left others behind,” Guess said. He declined to identify the items.– (Reuters)