Jefferson County law enforcement awarded after near-deadly shooting

WATERTOWN, N.Y. (WWTI) — A near-deadly welfare check.

“There should’ve been law enforcement officers,” Jefferson County Sheriff Peter Barnett said. “There wasn’t.”

On May 16, 2023, a Jefferson County Sheriff Deputy and New York State Trooper responded to a welfare check at 23378 County Route 59 in the Town of Brownville.

The suspect, later identified as 45-year-old Nathan Krump, pulled out a weapon and fired one round at the deputy, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

This led to hours of police response on Pillar Point.

“It takes a second, several seconds for your brain to actually figure out what is that? What’s that noise? And just as it was coming to light, like, holy crap, like those rounds,” Jefferson County Sheriff Detective Sergeant Paige Taylor explained.

Numerous units from the Sheriff’s Office, as well as several outside agencies, responded to the “shots fired” call on May 16.

All, according to Sheriff Barnett, put their lives on the line.

“It was like the first of such an incident that we’ve experienced here,” County Sheriff Deputy Randolph Bachmeyer said, who responded with the Sherriff’s Office Emergency Response Team. “We could actually hear the gunfire. And very quickly determined that that gunfire was directed at us specifically.”

Negotiators, including Sergeant Taylor, attempted to communicate with the suspect after he retreated into his house.

However, it wasn’t until after Krump allegedly lit his house on fire that law enforcement successfully put the suspect in custody.

“You didn’t think about or I didn’t think about that particular moment. Like, I might not make this make it out. no. I go home at the end of the night. [He’s] not going home was was really the mindset of everybody,” Sergeant Taylor expressed.

Following the incident, four members of the Sheriff’s Office were transported to Samaritan Medical Center for evaluation.

The suspect was taken into custody unharmed after being stopped by a taser.

In recognition of law enforcement, all responding members of the Sheriff’s Office were awarded gallantry stars on November 14 during a ceremony at the Public Safety Building.

This included the following members of law enforcement:

Sheriff Barnett attributed teamwork to what saved everyone’s lives back in May.

“Not one shot was fired by law enforcement,” Barnett noted. “Unit readiness will be at a high level and able to respond in a moment’s notice to save lives of all citizens and to protect law enforcement in the event a situation like this arises again.”

Nathan Krump has been indicted on attempted murder charges and is currently incarcerated, awaiting further court hearings.

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