LIBERTY, NY — On Tuesday, June 13,  the Village of Liberty Police Department arrested a 17-year-old male adolescent offender after an investigation into a shooting that occurred on South Main Street in the Village of Liberty. Village of Liberty Police initially responded to the area of South Main Street on May 20,  at approximately 10 p.m. for a report of a male victim with an apparent gunshot wound.

Responding officers found a 27-year-old male victim with two apparent gunshot wounds, including a gunshot wound to the chest. The victim was transported by Mobile Medic ambulance to Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown, NY. An investigation into the shooting resulted in identifying the 17-year-old adolescent offender as the suspect. He was located at a residence in the Village of Ellenville in Ulster County and was taken into custody without further incident on June 13, at approximately 8:30 p.m. He was charged with attempted murder in the 2nd degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the 2nd degree, both felonies.

The juvenile was arraigned in the Town of Liberty Court by the Honorable Judge Troy Johnstone and remanded to the custody of the Sullivan County Sheriff and ordered to be held at a location certified by the office of children and family services in conjunction with the state commission of corrections as a specialized secure juvenile detention facility for older youth. The 17-year-old was then transported to the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Division where he was lodged pending future court appearance.

The Village of Liberty Police Department was assisted in the investigation by the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office, the New York State Police, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, and the Village of Ellenville Police Department. Village of Liberty Police Chief Steven D’Agata stated,  "If you come to the Village of Liberty and commit violent acts you will be investigated, you will be found and you will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I will utilize the full resources of my department and the law enforcement community to ensure that anyone committing violence such as this in the Village of Liberty is brought to justice.” 

 Criminal charges are merely allegations that a defendant has committed violations of the criminal law, and as such they are not evidence of guilt. All defendants have a presumption of innocence and are entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the burden of the State of New York to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.