Accused Trooper Shooter No Folk Hero

Escaped Inmate 'Bucky' Phillips Was A Western N.Y. Amusement Before Shooting

(CBS/AP)  For months, authorities in western New York scoured hunting campsites, stopped traffic and questioned acquaintances in a search for an escaped inmate with the skills of a seasoned outdoorsman.

On Friday, the search intensified after authorities said two participating troopers were ambushed by a sniper hiding in the woods. Seventy-five additional troopers were called up to help as the pair lingered in critical condition.

The five-month manhunt has turned Ralph "Bucky" Phillips into somewhat of a local amusement here, sometimes frustrating police. A restaurant offered a "Bucky Burger" and some bars in the area sold T-shirts with sayings such as "Got Bucky?"

"It shows people he's not the big hero they made him out to be," Richard Albach of Brocton tells The Buffalo News. "He's strictly a criminal."

James Anderson, a Charlotte resident, was even blunter: "He's gonna die. Rest assured, someone is going to shoot him when he comes out of the woods," he told the newspaper.

Police believe Phillips, who escaped from jail in April and may be traveling between Pennsylvania and western New York, is the gunman, State Police Superintendent Wayne Bennett said. Since his escape, Phillips has been suspected in the wounding of another state trooper, numerous burglaries and the theft of a gun shop.

[killpigs]

A SPECIAL SONG "COP KILLER" FOR A SPECIAL HERO
Ralph "Bucky" Phillips.

Ice-T, "Cop Killer"
I got my black shirt on.
I got my black gloves on.
I got my ski mask on.
This ***'s been too long.

I got my twelve gauge sawed off.
I got my headlights turned off.
I'm 'bout to bust some shots off.
I'm 'bout to dust some cops off.


Cop killer, better you than me.
Cop killer, f**k police brutality!
Cop killer, I know your family's grievin'
(f**k 'em)
Cop killer, but tonight we get even.


I got my brain on hype.
Tonight'll be your night.
I got this long-assed knife,
and your neck looks just right.
My adrenaline's pumpin'.
I got my stereo bumpin'.
I'm 'bout to kill me somethin'
A pig stopped me for nuthin'!


Cop killer, better you than me.
Cop killer, f**k police brutality!
Cop killer, I know your mama's grievin'
(f**k her)
Cop killer, but tonigh

[killpigs]

I BELIEVE ALL PIGLICE AND THEIR SUPPORTERS DESERVE TO BE ATTACKED. RALPH BUCKY PHILLIPS YOU ARE A HERO.

[killpigs]

ALL PIGLICE OFFICERS ARE LEGITIMATE MILITARY TARGETS. BUCKY PHILLIPS IS A HERO.

[pirple1]

GET OUT!!!!! I love the fact that we are surrounded with the men in their purple and grey. Unfortunatly they have to be here for all the wrong reasons far away from their family's and their home towns. BUCKY JUST GET YOUR *** OUT! Go back to the hole you dug yourself out of. These men and women in uniform will conquer,I believe in my heart of all hearts you are going down. There is no justification in what you have caused in this area. I believe you are far more tired than our law enforcement,you will fade i pray and we can move on to somewhat normal lives.You bucky phillips have left scars behind that will take a long time to heal,you did it to yourself and your family. The media needs to keep shaun Horton and Sandy Kelly out of any type of news or radio,they are not positive people in our community(LOSERS).

[dollmeister]

I AM A LIBERAL. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM DEAD. I WOULD LIKE TO SHOOT HIM IN THE FACE MYSELF.

[EASYWRITER882]

You liberal AZZholes need to shut the little on your faces and get real. I KNEW Joe Longobardo and his wife. I bought my first house from them in Saratoga as I said before. Joe served as a Marine, he served his community as a State Trooper and lost his life so some SKUMsuckin POS... could stay out of jail. SImple solution, STOP DOING SHEET thats gonna get your ugly *** in jail in the first *** place.
I wish I could get a job as the assasin sent to kill his *** when they catch him. Cops have to uphold the laws but citizens have the right to extract vengeance on the human predators who evade due justice because of our silly assed liberal laws.
Justice would be Joe's family in a room with Mr. Moron for ten minutes with baseball bats. We'd see how tough he is then.

This country needs a friggin ***, liberals and murderous rednecks... what a pair.
mJ

[babygirl_419]

This "man" if you can call him that is in NO way Rambo. He is a sick individual who should not be allowed to breath air. He has now taken a father and husband from 2 people who did not deserve to have to lose him like this. In my opinion he should get no trial and NO chance to escape again. "An eye for an eye". This country needs to start backing the innocent and not the guilty. It makes me wonder what our four fathers fought for..

[steveirwin3]

Dude is Rambo

[paultoronto-2009]

I'm Canadian and I've seen lots of public servants. Superintendent Wayne Bennett of the New York State Troopers is one of the finest communicators I've witnessed. No BS and very, very straightforward. Bucky is no joke and Bennett conveyed that extremely well in his press conference on Friday morning!

[buzzbull]

I think that if you act irresponsibly and threaten the life of a police officer such as by dragging him down the road by the fender of an ATV, you should be prepared to pay the consequences, I am not condoning the death of the driver but when are people going to start accepting their own actions and own up to them? It seems as though we live in an era where everyone wants to blame everybody else for their actions, it is utterly ridiculous. "Everybody owes me something" should be the motto of the USA today, get real people and start owning your actions.

[dollmeister]

HOUSEKEEPIN -

IF ONE DRAGS A POLICE OFFICER ON AN ATV FOR ANY DISTANCE, ONE CAN EXPECT TO BE SHOT.

IN YOUR BOOK, WHEN IS IT OK FOR THE COP TO CONSIDER HIS OWN LIFE INSTEAD OF THE GUY WHO'S TRYING TO KILL HIM??

A POLICE OFFICER DESERVES TO GO HOME TO HIS FAMILY JUST AS MUCH, IF NOT MORE, THAN THE IDIOT WHO'S TRYING TO FLEE FROM THE LAW.

THE OFFICER IS OUT THERE PROTECTING YOUR RIGHTS, THE IDIOT DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOU OR YOUR RIGHTS AT ALL. THAT'S WHAT MAKES HIM AN IDIOT.

AND NOW HE'S A DEAD IDIOT. BIG DEAL.

[prophecy411]

Thank you tpeks40 I do agree with your last statement and it is true that there are so many ways to change, but there has to be a catalyst. Sadly there was not for Bucky and he did not have enough undamaged soul in him to dig himself out. I hope the information helps some people to understand how we got to this point or perhaps empathize, but not condone any action that may be proved to be Bucky. The possiblity exists for Bucky to receive empathy and still find what is proved he is responsible for as punishable. I pray that whatever intervention that God may have happens quickly and that we do not have to continue this speculation much longer.

[housekeepin1]

Dollmeister
you are a very narrow minded person aren't you?
I really hope that the parents of Mr.Horton or his family do not happen upon this sight as I did.
People such as you are the reason we are in the situations we are in this world. Have you read the articles? Have you seen the denials? Did you hear the radio broadcast when they shot him?
We Got Him. We got him We got Bucky and they left him lay there bleeding to death. Then oops it is NOT HIM!!!! you are the sick individual.

[rollinface69]

I wanna see bucky do the right thing...I do not beleive he is as bad a person as the media makes him out to be. there is no evidence linking him to the shootings and for all we know it could be the officers shooting eachother. He has not harmed an innocent person since his escape so why start now? I believe he is running from something he could possibly know. Only time will tell.

[tpeks40]

I;m sorry that children have to grow up under such circumstances, but there comes a time in an adults life when they have to pick themselves up by their boot straps and become responsible for their actions, You can't blame everything on your upbringing. I'm sure some of those very same troopers that are out there looking for Bucky have been raised under similar circumstancs, yet they overcame their situations by bettering themselves, not by blaming society for their problems. There are judges that have childern that turn out to be criminals, and criminals that have childern that turn out to be judges. It all depends on the person and how much, or little, they want to contribute to society. If there is injustice in someones life then these are the people that should be working the hardest to end that injustice for others like them, not the ones cycling it back to their offspring.

[prophecy411]

In regard to tpeks40, it is the daily beatings by an alcoholic father with no intervention...it is a childhood suffering with the lack of food and finances and the total experience of living with a violent alcoholic parent that Bucky endured. (If this was not your childhood I highly recommend that you spend a month with an alcoholic of his caliber...you will never open your mouth again but to apologize that children live like this everyday) I know there were NO services and interventions were not available because I had the same upbringing...there is still nothing significant to help anyone, I've looked. Bucky had it far worse. He had to steal to eat as a child, he had few clothes...Were you there to bring him food when he was little...the state of New York and Chautauqua County sure wasn't. Does that excuse his lack of change as an adult...? NO...but there is not one report of him ever receiving any significant help when he was a minor...please prove me wrong...I am sure you won't. Government entities are a cash sucking machine that do not produce what they are paid to accomplish because there are THOUSANDS of people who are totally abandoned to fend for themselves every year and they come to the church and explain all the times they were refused help that the state says is there for people just like them.

[dollmeister]

TO HOUSEKEEPIN1:

SOMEONE DRAGGING A COP BY AN ATV IS DEPRAVED INDIFFERENCE TO HUMAN LIFE (MURDER 2, BTW) AND THE COP RESPONDED ACCORDINGLY. DUH. NO ONE THINKS ABOUT SAVING THE LIFE OF THE IDIOT WHO'D TRYING TO KILL YOU. HOW STUPID OF YOU.

I HOPE BUCKY DIES AN UGLY DEATH AND I GUESS ALL YOU IDIOTS IN CHAUTAUQUA ARE THINKING BETTER OF GLORIFYING HIM NOW.

[housekeepin1]

Those of you whom stated that the trooper was dragged were supposably correct, but shooting 4 times in his back? Why not a tire. I cannot see him being dragged at such speeds that a tire would not of been possible. I believe there was a witness to this whole episode also who ran thinking he was going to be gunned down. So what you are stating is that because he was being dragged it justified shooting an ex marine in the back. Bucky will be held accountable and do not misunderstand,If guilty he should be punished,and I feel all the officers families but we are still innocent until proven guilty. At least that is what we base our legal system on. The way things have been going around here anything that happens it is automatically Bucky. So it gives free reign to all criminals....

[tpeks40]

In response to prophecy411's posting...Maybe if people didn't break the law, they wouldn't be in trouble with the law. Go figure? How did the law ruin generations of his family's life?, by catching them breaking it? The government hasn't held out a hand to anyone I know either, but then again most of the people I know work honest jobs for a living. Unfortunately his grandchildren were exposed to this situation through no fault of their own. Shame on their parents for including them in this situation. You can blame everything on the Troopers, but if people did what was right, then none of this would be happening. And once again, what was Mr. Horton doing dragging a trooper from his ATV? Another situation that could have been avoided if he would have done the right thing and stopped when asked to. And finally, if you don't like it here in "oppressive" New York, there are 49 other states waiting to take you in. Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya.

[prophecy411]

You have not seen and heard the testimonies I have in counseling sessions of hundreds of other people who have been mistreated that repeat the same story. 40 + years of lives have been destroyed in this area. Help for Bucky was not in existence when he needed it and is no better now. If you seek help in this state for any serious problem hire an attorney now, you will need one. Bucky has endured a horrid life without proper assistance and never received one real hand-up from anyone that he did not pay dearly for. He is all done watching the police destroy another generation of his family. There is no brotherly kindness to lift others up in this area. Bucky%u2019s grandchildren need counseling due to the despicable tactics of the New York State Police treating people like animals to be managed. I respect those officers that do their job with kindness and mercy, but I disagree 100% with their tactics regarding the children. Bradley Horton DOES NOT LOOK AT ALL like Bucky! This is a perfect example of what we have had to tolerate as citizens. We have all "had it" with excessive abuse of citizens to finance government that over-taxes and underserves. Sadly, people in this county would take advantage of the fact that Bucky would get the blame to get their own pot shots in. Trespassers are confronted here everyday. Our country got rid of a oppressive government once. Everyone who agrees please protest this with words not violence.