sad story

This happened to my friend Rich from NY. he used to live at my house until he became a state trooper when i still lived on long island.

On April 25th Rich & his partner David were involved in a shoot out with fugitive Travis Trim in Upstate NY. During an intense close quarter gun battle inside a home, Rich was shot twice, once in the helmet and once in the chest, by a .22 Caliber hand gun. He was saved only by his body amour, but refused to give up his position. Only 12 ft away from the assailant, Rich continued to hold Travis Trim at bay in order to ensure the safety of his fellow Troopers as they moved into position. Frustrated and desperate, Travis Trim resorted to a large caliber rifle and managed to shoot Trooper Mattson in his left forearm. Due to the nature of the close range and the size of the round, Rich sustained a horrible injury. 6 inches of his radial bone and large amounts of soft tissue were blasted away. With his brachial artery spliced and hand paralyzed Rich was surprisingly able to tourniquet himself and escape to safety. He was immediately evacuated via helicopter to Albany Medical Center.

This is the part where one’s true character is realized in an individual. Upon arrival at the hospital Rich grabs the doctor by the shirt and says, “Doc I can’t use my hand…Cut it off and put a hook on it….I have to get back to my partner….He needs my help.”

Rich knew that his partner, David was still in the house and despite being accompanied by many other members of the highly trained NYSP Mobile Response Team. RICH FELT IN HIS HEART THAT HE COULD STILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE AND HELP.

As everyone knows, later during that gun fight Trooper David Brinkerhoff died from a gun shot wound to the head. I’ve spoken to Rich and he wishes he was there to make a difference.

My brother in law is having a fundraiser at his gym on long island. its going to be a strong man competition and bench press competition. He grew up with rich and wrote this letter.