On August 31, 2006, New York State Trooper Joseph Anthony Longobardo, 32, was shot during a manhunt in Pomfret, New York. He and a fellow trooper were conducting surveillance for an escaped convict when gunfire from a high-powered rifle struck both officers. Longobardo was hit in the leg; the bullet severed a major artery. He and his partner were taken to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, where Longobardo underwent an emergency amputation of the leg but died of his injuries on September 3, 2006. He left a wife and a young son.

The escaped convict being sought during the operation was identified as Ralph Bucky Phillips, who had escaped from an Erie County jail in April 2006. The shooting and Longobardo’s death intensified what became a large manhunt across the region. Anyone with information about Trooper Longobardo, his last assignments, or the ambush is asked to come forward.