PITCHER – Chenango County Sheriff’s deputies, responding to a reported motor vehicle accident on state Highway 23 in the Town of Pitcher Thursday night, were forced to shoot the vehicle’s driver after he allegedly fired approximately 20 rounds at a nearby residence, law enforcement officers and their vehicles.

Patrick Ford Jr., 42, of Norwich, was transported via Mercy Flight helicopter to Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse, following the incident. According to Chenango County Sheriff Ernest Cutting Jr., Ford required surgery following what Cutting called “a justifiable shooting” by sheriff’s deputies. Charges are pending and the case is in the process of being turned over to the Chenango County District Attorney’s Office.

Cutting said two sheriff’s deputies initially responded to the accident, which occurred shortly after 6:30 p.m. While en route, several calls from nearby residences reported shots fired and the presence of a nine-year-old boy on the scene. The boy, Ford’s son, was uninjured following the incident and is believed to be in the custody of his mother, who shares joint custody of the child with Ford, added Cutting.

Following the accident, which found Ford’s pick-up truck tangled in an electrical pole’s ground wire, a nearby resident approached Ford in an effort to offer help. Early reports say that Ford became inexplicably enraged and pulled a handgun – reportedly a .40 caliber Glock which Ford did have a permit for – at one point holding the Pitcher man at gunpoint. The homeowners retreated to the house, said Cutting, locked the door and watched as Ford began shooting at the residence, allegedly smashing one window with a fist and discharging between five and eight shots.

The first officers on the scene attempted to begin a dialogue with the shooter, who then advanced toward one sheriff’s deputy, gun in hand. Deputies fired several rounds at that point, reported Cutting, following which Ford opened fire, striking both patrol cars with gunfire, as well as a New York State Police vehicle arriving on the scene. The second sheriff’s deputy secured the nine-year-old boy, which – according to Cutting – may have further enraged Ford, who then approached that officer. The first deputy, upon arrival of a third sheriff’s vehicle, secured a patrol rifle, firing one shot which incapacitated Ford.