ALBANY – It has been 44 years since State Trooper William McDonagh was killed in a shootout in Sugar Loaf.
He was 24 at the time of his death on December 14, 1975.
Trooper McDonagh had been dispatched to investigate a quarrel. A man shot and killed his girlfriend near the phone booth she used to call for help. When Trooper McDonagh arrived at the scene of the woman’s murder, he was shot by the killer. A backup patrol killed the assailant when he refused to surrender.
Trooper McDonagh had been on the force for two years and was assigned to the Monroe barracks.
