Vet held in slay of trooper
AN ARMY COMBAT VETERAN was ordered held without bail Monday — a day after police say he fatally shot his wife and a state trooper in upstate New York.
Trooper Joel Davis, a married father of three, was responding to a 911 call reporting an argument Sunday night in upstate Theresa. Davis, 36, reached the home about 80 miles north of Syracuse about 8:30 p.m. He parked about 75 feet away from the front door. Almost immediately, Davis heard gunshots. The trooper called for backup, grabbed a semiautomatic rifle and then crept along a hedge toward the house. As he neared the driveway, Fort Drum infantryman Justin Walters opened fire, hitting Davis in the chest, police said.
The shooter’s wife, Nichole Walters, 27, died inside the home of multiple gunshot wounds. Walters also shot his wife’s friend Rebecca Finkle in the chest. She survived.
Davis collapsed into a ditch. His fellow troopers couldn’t immediately find him.
Walters, 32, surrendered to authorities in his driveway. Troopers then found Davis, who was gravely wounded. Emergency workers took him to Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, where he died about 9:30 p.m. State police said Davis was on the force four years. “Trooper Davis died serving the people of New York State,” said Thomas Mungeer, head of the New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association.
Walters, charged with first- and second-degree murder, is an active-duty soldier stationed at Fort Drum in Jefferson County, according to state police. He is assigned to the 10th Mountain Division.
The infantryman served combat tours in Afghanistan from January 2009 to January 2010, and again from March 2011 to March 2012. He has refused to make a statement to police, sources said.
Gov. Cuomo ordered flags at government buildings flown at half-staff, beginning Wednesday.
“His death is yet another sad reminder of the risks law enforcement officers face each day in order to protect our communities and serve the residents of this great state,” he said.
Jefferson County Child Protective services took custody of Walters’ son, a toddler found in the couple’s home, according to the Watertown Daily Times.