Today is the one-year anniversary of when New York State Trooper Andrew J. Sperr was shot and killed in Big Flats, NY. Trooper Sperr was killed on March 1, 2006 when he pulled over a vehicle in the town of Big Flats, not knowing the two occupants had been involved in an earlier bank robbery. Although shot a number of times, Trooper Sperr was able to return fire and wounded the two men in the vehicle.

The shooter of Trooper Sperr, Anthony Horton, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Accomplice Bryan Adams, who was also in the vehicle at the time of the shooting, was sentenced to 22 years to life in prison. A second accomplice, Wayne Adams, was sentenced to 15 years in prison as a lookout in the bank robbery Horton and the Adams brothers had been involved in just prior to being pulled over by Trooper Sperr.

Trooper Sperr gave his life in the name of serving and protecting the public, and he died a hero. We continue to mourn for Trooper Sperr, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

Below are links to two newspaper articles that feature interviews with his family members and friends.

The Leader newspaper of Corning: http://www.the-leader.com/articles/2007/03/01/news/local01.txt

Democrat & Chronicle newspaper of Rochester: http://www.rochesterdandc.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070301/NEWS01/703010351/1002/NEWS