Identity of Man Killed By NY Trooper On I-84 Has Been Released
A beloved restaurant owner and community activist was fatally shot by police on I-84 in the Hudson Valley.
Luke H. Patterson, 41, of Tannersville was gunned down by New York State Police on Interstate 84 in Montomgery early Thursday morning.
On Thursday just before 2 a.m., New York State Police responded to a report of a disabled vehicle on I-84 in the town of Montgomery near exit 5A.
Arriving police found a disabled vehicle in the middle of the highway. Another caller said a man was walking along the westbound shoulder of I-84, near exit 5.
The responding troopers left the disabled car to search for the man. After they found the man, later identified as Patterson, one officer exited the trooper car and talked with the man as another officer continuing driving the police car next to the officer and man, police say.
During the conversation, Patterson wasn't cooperative with troopers and refused to comply with commands multiple times, according to New York State Police.
A trooper shot the man when he allegedly tried to get into the moving police car. He was pronounced dead shortly after.
Patterson used to own Luke’s Joint and The Other Place in Californa, the North Coast Journal reports.
He recently sold both restaurants and moved back to the Hudson Valley where his parents had a summer home, his friend told the New York Times. Patterson has been renovating a house in Tannersville to turn it into a boutique wedding destination.
Patterson told friends he was hanging out in Tannersville he was heading home around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, according to his friend. It's unclear how or why Patterson ended up on I-84 in Orange County, over an hour from his home.
The friend told the New York Times, Patterson was used to host large-scale Thanksgiving dinners for the homeless in Californa and help the Fresh Air Fund bring children from New York City to the Hudson Valley.
Patterson attended Bronxville High School and previously worked at Peekamoose Restaurant & Tap Room in Big Indian and Last Chance Antiques & Cheese Cafe in Tannersville, according to Patterson's Facebook.
The Attorney General's Office is investigating the shooting.