An inmate who was accused of shooting an off-duty police officer in New York City was found dead inside the Venango County jail last week.
Venango County coroner Christina Rugh confirmed Tuesday that she was called to the jail July 26 after the body of Michael Anthony Troutman, of Snellville, Georgia, who was jailed in May on six felony firearm counts and was also wanted for allegedly shooting the New York City officer, was discovered at the jail that morning.
Rugh said the cause of death is pending the results of a toxicology report, but the toxicology testing was “not for suspected drug use,” she said.
Troutman had been taken into custody by Franklin state police very early in the morning on May 21, in the parking lot of the Anchors Away Convenience Store in Clinton Township.
Police said that upon running the Georgia license plate of Troutman’s van there had been a request for a felony traffic stop on the vehicle and that Troutman was considered armed and dangerous.
A New York City police detective contacted state police at the scene and expressed gratitude that they had caught Troutman, who was wanted for shooting the off-duty New York officer and the officer’s grandmother with a 12-gauge shotgun. Both shooting victims survived.
The detective said the shooting had occurred in a New York City parking lot, and Troutman had shot the officer and his grandmother through a car window after letting them get into their vehicle.
Troutman then fled the scene.
The detective added she had confirmed with Georgia police that Troutman was a felon who was not allowed to possess guns and that he also had an active protection from abuse order out of Georgia.
He was placed in the Venango County jail on the six felony firearms charges with bail denied.
