PITCHER – Chenango County Sheriff’s deputies, responding to a reported motor vehicle accident on state Highway 23 in the Town of Pitcher Thursday night, were forced to shoot the vehicle’s driver after he allegedly fired approximately 20 rounds at a nearby residence, law enforcement officers and their vehicles.

Patrick Ford Jr., 42, of Norwich, was transported via Mercy Flight helicopter to Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse, following the incident. According to Chenango County Sheriff Ernest Cutting Jr., Ford required surgery following what Cutting called “a justifiable shooting” by sheriff’s deputies. Charges are pending and the case is in the process of being turned over to the Chenango County District Attorney’s Office.

Cutting said two sheriff’s deputies initially responded to the accident, which occurred shortly after 6:30 p.m. While en route, several calls from nearby residences reported shots fired and the presence of a nine-year-old boy on the scene. The boy, Ford’s son, was uninjured following the incident and is believed to be in the custody of his mother, who shares joint custody of the child with Ford, added Cutting.