<p>Bucky Phillips Suspected Of Shooting Two More Officers</p>
<p>Since his jail escape on April 2, 2006, Ralph “Bucky” Phillips has eluded police in upstate New York – leaving in his wake a trail of petty crimes that have kept the law one step behind him. Police say Phillips is suspected of the June 10 shooting of an officer during a traffic stop. Now police believe Bucky has raised the stakes and ambushed two state troopers near the Chautauqua County village of Fredonia, about 40 miles southwest of Buffalo. </p>
<p>Late at night on Aug 31, 2006, two troopers performing surveillance near Phillips’ former girlfriend’s house were shot with a high-powered rifle by a gunman who fired from a heavily wooded area near the home. </p>
<p>32-year-old Joseph Longobardo was shot in the leg and suffered massive blood loss from a severed artery. 38-year-old Donald Baker was hit in the side by a bullet that penetrated his bullet-resistant vest. Both men underwent surgery and are in critical condition.</p>
<p>Cops: Fugitive Shoots Officer, Leaves Behind Major Clues</p>
<p>According to officials, Ralph “Bucky” Phillips fled from Alden County Correctional Facility in Western New York on April 2, 2006 by using a can opener to pry his way through a kitchen ceiling and out to freedom. </p>
<p>Phillips has been in trouble with the law for most of his life. His criminal history is pages long, and documents a life of burglary, car theft and stalking old girlfriends. But on June 10, 2006, police believe Philips upped the ante. </p>
<p>Two New York State Troopers were driving down a rural road in the small town of Veteran, N.Y., about 70 miles south of Syracuse. Around 1:00 a.m., they signaled a dark green Ford Mustang that matched the description of a vehicle stolen earlier that day in Chautauqua County. The driver pulled over to the side of the road before the troopers had even turned on their emergency lights. As the two troopers approached the car, the driver-- who police say was Bucky Phillips-- pulled out a gun and fired out shots. One of the troopers was hit in the abdomen and seriously injured. Luckily after emergency surgery, the trooper survived.</p>
<p>Family Man?
At the time of his escape, Phillips was less than a week away from completing a 90-day sentence for a parole violation. Family members claim the 44-year-old fugitive escaped in order to be present at the birth of a grandchild. On the run, police claim Phillips’ family has assisted him. Phillips’ daughter, Petrina Wright, was arrested the week of August 27, and authorities removed her three children from her care, saying she had endangered their safety by letting her fugitive father spend time with them while armed. </p>
<p>Police offered up what they considered proof that Phillips had been to the home shared by Wright and her mother; they say they retreived night-vision binoculars and a two-way radio, from the home. They also confiscated pizza crust and beer cans that will be tested for Phillips’ DNA. </p>
<p>Phillips On The Run</p>
<p>View LargerSince Phillips’ escape, car thefts, break ins and foot chases have been recurring themes in his flight from justice. On June 25, 2006, a worker at a drilling company in Sheridan, N.Y., recognized a 2002 Dodge Caravan was abandoned on company property, from local news as one allegedly stolen by Bucky Phillips. Meanwhile, the company’s ATV was missing. Just after dusk, on June 27, 2006, a witness saw a man fitting Phillips’ description riding an ATV in the woods near Chautauqua County and called police. Almost simultaneously, officials got calls about two nearby cabins being burglarized. It didn’t take long to put the three incidents together Soon, Phillips and police were racing through the rural woods. Just when authorities thought they had their suspect cornered, he disappeared into the wilderness. But he left one important clue behind-- his backpack. Cops say in his bag was the gun used in the trooper’s shooting, along with other weapons. </p>
<p>Later, officials recovered the ATV Phillips allegedly stole. Just as they had suspected, it had been painted another color, green, Philips’ favorite hue. After investigating the burglaries, cops realized Phillips had also left something there as well-- his fingerprints</p>
<p>On August 19th, a trooper on Route 60 in Cassadaga, N.Y., spotted a motorcycle with invalid inspection tags. Cops believe this driver was none other than Bucky Phillips. When the trooper approached him, Bucky allegedly ran into an apartment building and then escaped out the back window. But the apartment held more than one surprise for the trooper-- inside were three people who have allegedly been hiding Bucky for several days. Two women and one man are now in police custody, on charges of hindering prosecution. </p>
<p>More Bucky Sightings</p>
<p>on August 8, police got a tip that Bucky had been spotted on the Tuscarora Indian Reservation, near Lewiston, N.Y. After a foot chase through the brush Phillips disappeared into the thick woods of the reservation. Police recovered a stolen 2002 Ford Mustang GT nearby. </p>
<p>So far, law enforcement authorities have recovered six guns that Bucky is alleged to have stolen: four .22-caliber rifles, a .32-caliber revolver and a .38-caliber revolver. He also is alleged to steal preferrably Ford cars and then paint them black or green.</p>
<p>The 32 year old police officer, Joseph Longobardo, died yesterday in the Erie Couty Medical Center. He left behind a wife and a 1 year old baby. He was shot in a leg artery by “Bucky.” People around NY State are raising money for the police and the officer that died. Officer Longobardo was in the military and the National Guard.</p>