A New York State trooper shot and killed a man at a Greene County campground Monday night after State Police said he emerged from a camper and pointed an object that appeared to be a black handgun at the trooper. The object was later identified as a BB gun. The man was being sought for questioning after another camper suffered a head injury in an assault moments earlier.
State troopers went to Whip-O-Will Campground on Route 31 in Purling around 8 p.m. Monday after a report of an assault, as reported by DailyVoice.com. According to Porcupine Soup, the emergency dispatch concerned an assault involving two men. Troopers found the injured camper, who had suffered a head injury and directed them toward the man they were seeking.
State Police said the man advanced toward a trooper while holding what appeared to be a black handgun and pointed the object at him. The trooper fired his service weapon, striking and killing the man. Emergency medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene. A New York State Police source later told the Albany Times-Union that the object was a BB gun.
Campground Grapples With Aftermath
Whip-O-Will, a family campground along County Route 31 also known as Hearts Content Road, sits in the Northern Catskills and hosts a mix of transient RV guests, tent campers, and seasonal permanent residents, according to Whip-O-Will Campsites. In a statement, the campground said the family was saddened by the tragic events involving a transient camper on September 14 and thanked law enforcement for its quick response. Whip-O-Will also reported that all of its seasonal family members were safe.
Authorities have withheld the identities of both the deceased man and the trooper involved until relatives are notified, per the DailyVoice.com report. Purling sits within the Town of Cairo, which had 6,644 residents as of the 2020 census, per the U.S. Census Bureau. Greene County's 911 services are described in an annual report from Greene County Emergency Services.
State and Local Investigations Now Underway
The New York State Attorney General's Office and the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation are investigating the shooting, according to Porcupine Soup. Troopers have asked anyone with information to call 845-344-5300. The agencies are reviewing the circumstances surrounding the deadly encounter.
How the state review works
According to the New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation, Executive Law Section 70-b gives OSI investigative authority and criminal jurisdiction when a police or peace officer may have caused a death. At the end of an investigation, OSI must either present evidence to a grand jury and obtain an indictment or issue a public report explaining why it did not present evidence; it must also issue a report if a grand jury declines to indict. Statewide context from the Attorney General’s fourth annual OSI report shows that the office had issued 21 investigation reports since its previous annual report in officer-caused-death cases where it concluded criminal charges were not warranted. The report also said four indictments were pending.
State police responded to the Greene County incident. The supplied material does not provide verified details about a March 2025 case on Blackhead Mountain Road in the nearby Cairo hamlet of Round Top.
A Familiar Question for Investigators
The supplied material does not provide independently verified details about a comparable Orange County pellet-gun case, including its location or disposition. Whether investigators reach a similar conclusion in the Purling case remains to be seen, as both the Attorney General's Office and BCI continue reviewing the circumstances of Monday's shooting.
