By Finn Lincoln
syracuse.com
DIANA, N.Y. — Drone and body camera videos released Wednesday capture a chaotic scene where a suspect in a double homicide attacked officers in an armored car just before he was fatally shot by a trooper.
The state Attorney General’s Office released the videos as part of its investigation into the shooting in the town of Diana in Lewis County on March 28.
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Victor L. Craighead, 47, of Diana, was shot dead around 2:18 a.m. that day after he opened fire on state troopers outside his home, according to State Police. He is a suspect in the death of two neighbors whose bodies were found burned in two nearby cars.
In drone footage, Craighead can be seen coming out of his home at 7654 Alpine Rd. armed with a long gun after an armored car pulled up. In five seconds, he was right outside the vehicle.
Video captured from the body-worn camera of Trooper Timothy Dovi inside the car catches troopers being surprised by Craighead and yelling.
“He’s right here!”
“He’s right there at the side of the vehicle!”
“He’s shooting!”
Craighead first shot at the car, damaging driver’s side window. He then approached the window and tried to smash the glass with his gun. The glass started to shatter but did not break.
Craighead then attempted to loop around the back of the vehicle. A trooper in the front-passenger side got out with a gun.
Craighead can be seen dropping his gun right before he walked up to the front passenger’s side door.
Dovi, still in the armored vehicle, can be seen holding his gun before two shots are heard. State Police have confirmed that Dovi shot Craighead.
It appears on the video that the trooper was still sitting in the vehicle when he shot Craighead, who was standing outside.
Craighead can be heard yelling right after the shots “I don’t have a gun!”
The entire encounter happened in 25 seconds from when Craighead came out of his home to when he was shot.
Craighead was pronounced dead at the scene despite troopers rendering aid.
Troopers were first called to 7601 Alpine Rd. on the evening of March 27. A homeowner who was not at the property had called 911 after seeing a person with a long gun on a security camera.
While searching the area, troopers located the remains of two people in two burned vehicles nearby, according to Trooper Jennifer Jiron, a spokesperson for State Police.
The investigation led troopers to Craighead’s nearby home where a perimeter was established, Jiron said.
The shooting took place in the early hours of March 28, the AG’s office said in a news release.
Craighead is considered a suspect in the deaths of the two people found in the burned vehicles, Jiron said.
The victims are believed to be Jerry W. Tucker, 71, and Carol E. Tucker, 73, Jiron said. Positive identification is pending DNA confirmation from an autopsy. The Tuckers were last seen in the early afternoon hours of March 27.
Jerry served in the United States Air Force from 1978 until his retirement in 1998 as a B-52 Maintenance Officer, according to his obituary.
Carol served in the Marine Corps where she worked as a Communications Center Man from 1971 until her honorable discharge in 1974.
The AG’s office investigates all cases where people are killed at the hands of police. Both the AG and troopers said their investigations are ongoing.
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