The State Troopers PBA continues to mourn the line-of-duty death of Trooper David Brinkerhoff. He was an outstanding Trooper who dedicated his life to public safety, and we miss him terribly.

We are focusing on the needs of Trooper Brinkerhoff’s family and helping with funeral details. We are also supporting Trooper Richard Mattson during his recovery at the hospital and assisting his family with their needs.

Today the details were made public about the circumstances surrounding Trooper Brinkerhoff’s death. On that day, our Troopers were working in an extremely hostile, volatile situation. They were facing a desperate, barricaded gunman who had shown through his actions the previous day and that morning that he had no respect for law enforcement, and was obviously determined not to give up without a fight. During this emergency situation, our Troopers did their best to apprehend this unpredictable gunman so that he would not harm anyone else. The “friendly fire” death of Trooper Brinkerhoff was a tragic accident, and a terribly unfortunate result of the chaotic events.

We support our Troopers who were involved in the firefight with the barricaded gunman that day, and we will help them in any way possible as they cope with this difficult news.

The State Troopers PBA commends Superintendent Preston Felton for his leadership, and for being honest and forthcoming to the Troopers’ families, the PBA and the public regarding this issue.