Michael Valkysand John Davis
Poughkeepsie Journal
MILAN -- Authorities are investigating the death of an Elizaville man who was shot and killed by a state trooper after the man used a shotgun to blow open the front door of the home where his estranged wife lives.
Responding officers Friday night safely removed the screaming woman from an upstairs bedroom of the home on Hidden Hollow Trail, where her husband was apparently holding her against her will.
State police said Saturday Richard Kane Jr., 47, was struck in the chest and abdomen by a single gunshot after he resisted arrest and refused to obey police commands. Kane was transported to Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck, where he died.
Authorities said Kane was shot with a state police-issued .45-caliber Glock handgun. State police would not release the name of the trooper who fired the fatal shot or say how long he or she has served on the force. Authorities said the trooper can remain on active duty during the investigation. Counseling is also available.
State police Lt. Dominick Chiumento of Troop K said the incident began around 8:25 p.m. Friday when the woman called authorities to report her husband came to the door of the home with a long gun.
As troopers responded to the scene, Chiumento said they received reports of shots being fired at the home.
"The female screamed," Chiumento said of the call to police. "And there was no further contact."
He said troopers and Dutchess County Sheriff's deputies arrived at the home to find the front door open — and riddled by gunfire.
"They noticed there were shotgun holes in the front door," Chiumento said. "They heard screams from upstairs."
State police said officers forcibly entered the upstairs bedroom and removed the woman from the home.
Chiumento declined to provide details of Kane's shooting — including whether he had pointed a weapon at officers. Chiumento also refused to say what police commands Kane failed to follow before he was shot.
It was also unclear if Kane held his wife at gunpoint.
But authorities described the incident as a "violent domestic dispute" and said Kane fired two shots through the front door when he came to confront his estranged wife.
"He was in there with a loaded gun and her," Chiumento said.
Authorities said they recovered a loaded 12-gauge shotgun from the upstairs bedroom following the approximately 20-minute incident.
Chiumento said police are still investigating why Kane came to the home and how long the couple had been estranged. It was not immediately clear if they were separated or divorced.
Chiumento said Kane's wife had moved to the home within the past year, but could not be more specific about how long she has been staying there.
A woman who answered the phone Saturday at Kane's Elizaville home said family members did not want to comment.
Chiumento said it does not appear police had contact with Kane in the past. He did not know what Kane did for a living or whether he was employed at the time of his death.
Following an autopsy Saturday, the Dutchess County Medical Examiner's Office found Kane died from a gunshot wound to the chest and stomach.
Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kari Reiber said the autopsy was conducted by Dr. Dennis Chute at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in the City of Poughkeepsie.
The probe into the shooting is being handled by state police, the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office and the County District Attorney's Office.
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