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Fugitive David Sweat Shot By New York State Police, Now In Custody; Aired 5-6p ET

Aired June 28, 2015 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[17:00:012] POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: 5:00 Eastern. I'm Poppy Harlow joining you from New York.

We begin with breaking news this hour in the search for an escaped convicted murder. CNN has learned that fugitive David Sweat has been shot by New York state police. He has been taken into custody alive. He was shot twice in an open field in the town of constable that is just two miles south of the Canadian border. He was on the run for 23 days when he was captured.

Right now, he is being treated inside of a hospital. The hospital's name is Alice Hyde medical center. It is located nearby in Malone, New York.

We have full team coverage in the field and here in New York. I want to go first to our Deborah Feyerick who's been working her law enforcement forces. She's learned some extraordinary things just in the past few moments about David Sweat's capture.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And what we know is that he was captured wearing camouflage gear. He was in full camouflage gear. He was just a couple miles from the Canadian border. And it is very interesting because had he been able to cross that Canadian border, law enforcement's ability to follow him would have been much more difficult in order to do. So the fact that they got him.

I'm also learning that apparently he was following a trail. It's what's called a fire break that is put between trees. So that in the event that there was a fire, effectively you can stop it. And that was the fastest, the easiest trial for him to be able to follow. But he was wearing camouflage gear. And we are actually in the process of getting a photograph approved right now. He was shot twice. He has covered in blood. But there's a photo of him. He was sitting on the ground. His hands behind his back as he is being treated. We're told that it was a New York state trooper who is the one that shot him. And you have to keep in mind that the people who are in that area searching for him, they were the best of the best, all tactical units, people with extreme experience in tracking these individuals, tracking individuals like this.

And so, we are now told, though, that he has been taken to the hospital. He was shot twice. And again, he was clearly wearing clothing that he much stolen from a hunting cab. HARLOW: Do we know what condition or -- rather, we know what the

condition is, we know he's live. Again, we're trying to clear this picture so, our viewers, can see what Jean and I have seen. We will bring that you as soon as we have it, as Deb and I have seen. \

But Deb, let me ask you, what do you know about what happened? Was there a fire fight? Did he have a weapon? Did he shoot at officers or he surrendered freely?

FEYERICK: You know, it's unclear. Based on the photograph, it looks like he has something on his hip, perhaps some sort of a knife. But we understand that he was shot. It appears from law enforcement sources that he was shot in the back. That could mean anything. It could mean that he turned around. It could mean that he was startled, that could mean that he heard them coming, it could mean that he was trying to run. But he was just several miles from the Canadian border.

Another thing that's going to be interesting to see, and that will be specifically whether he was with Richard Matt. Because he did cover a decent amount of ground from where Richard Matt was shot in Malone, New York to where he was shot and taken into custody in Constable New York.

HARLOW: About 20 miles or so.

(CROSSTALK)

FEYERICK: Exactly. And the weather is terrible. Cell service in that area is horrible. I was hearing from law enforcement that the search was very, very difficult because of the weather that has just plagued that area for so long. But again, Canadian authorities have been briefed on the possibility that he could have crossing into Canada, and so they were ready. There are sensors all along the border, even when they aren't checkpoints. So all of that was being monitored. And the authorities knew that it was just in possibility he could be getting there.

HARLOW: Do we know, Deb, if anyone else was injured? Any law enforcement officer, anyone else injured?

FEYERICK: Well, it's interesting because a number of ambulances did go to the hospital. And I did ask sources about that. Its standard operating procedure to take individuals, law enforcement who have been involved in the shooting to a hospital, to sort of, you know, move them a little bit. Give them a little bit of coverage, a little bit of, you know, they just an individual. So they would probably be checked out as well.

But it does not appear that any law enforcement personnel was shot in any way. And you can see one of the ambulances there, not clear whether he's in that ambulance or whether -- I think there was a second ambulance as well.

But again, he's being treated. And the injuries -- they've got to keep him alive. I'll tell you, though, if he's kept alive and if he talks, the chances of him providing information against both Joyce Mitchell and Gene Palmer is significant. If he dies, then it is a very different case against these two individuals in terms of their role and what they were able to do.

But yes, so we're working on getting that picture cleared for our viewers now.

[17:04:57] HARLOW: And we are going to be talking to our legal experts about that. What happens next in this case?

But again, the breaking news just to reset for you here as I have Deborah Feyerick by my side who for three week has been working her sources, breaking news left and right on this story.

Again, to reset for you. David Sweat, that convicted murderer who shot a sheriff deputy 22 times, was in prison for life, escaped 23 days ago, has now been shot twice and he is in police custody being treated as a local hospital. There will be a law enforcement press conference at 6:45 eastern time tonight. It is about an hour and forty minutes from now. We will, of course, carry that for you live for your information from that.

I do want to get to Jean Casarez. She in the field there. She's at the hospital. I believe also Polo Sandoval with us as well.

Jean, let me go to you. You have been getting reaction from people in this community, frankly, a community that has been absolutely traumatized. People who have been scared to go to sleep at night. People who said that they used to keep their doors unlock. How do they feel now?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are elated. And we're right here live. We're right outside the emergency room of the Alice Hyde medical center. David Sweat is right inside the doors of the emergency room behind me. And one of the thing we were able to confirm on record with the hospital that no law enforcement officers at all were injured.

But we were on our way to where we believed this was happening. And all of a sudden, there was a caravan that was going at a high rate of speed with numerous law enforcement officers and two ambulances. And we now know that was one that was taken there protectively. But one of them was in fact we belief carrying David Sweat because he now is in that hospital.

You know, I've been listening to law enforcement talking month themselves. And I think the one thing that I am hearing is I heard them say - and as you can see, look right behind me, you can see right here as law enforcement continues to come up. Because they continue to come to this hospital one by one, and they're being guide from the law enforcement in the street. But I did hear one officer tell another they are expecting medical equipment to be delivered to this medical center.

Now, this is an acute care facility, 73 beds. It is not a trauma center, but it is an acute care center. But as you can see -- let's pan over here. Because I just want to show some -- look at the smiles on these people's faces. They feel safe again.

How are you doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty good. I'm glad they're caught. It is such a small community. If one person got hurt, it would be - everybody would know them. It would be very hard for us to get back to normal living.

CASAREZ: All right, get back to normal living. So that's the community standing out here in the rain, Poppy, because they just want to applaud law enforcement.

HARLOW: Yes. Jean, stay with us. But I do want to talk to our viewers about the picture you're seeing on the side of the screen. Let's take it full. This is the first picture we have seen of David Sweat since he escaped from prison 23 days ago. It comes through us from our Deborah Feyerick.

FEYERICK: Yes. And we received this photograph a little while ago. But you can see he is wearing camouflage gear. You can see that there is blood. You can see he's being treated by individuals there at the scene. Obviously they're wearing protective gloves. But it's very interesting. And you can just make out on his hip what appears to be sort of a case. And whether that suggests that he was carrying some sort of a knife, you know, we don't know that yet.

But the question has been, it's cold, it's rainy, at night the temperatures fall, how were these guys able to hide out? And there was even talk about what they might be wearing. We knew that Richard Matt had a rifle. We did not know whether David Sweat was armed. But it appears one of the reasons or one of the ways that he was able to survive for as many week as he did is because he was dressed for the elements. And you can see because of the sort of the camouflage he could have easily remained hidden even while he was on the run.

But we are being told that he was heading north and that he was trying to get away as quick as possible because not clear whether he was with Richard Matt when all of this happened, but he covered a lot of ground between the two -- between the two shootings essentially.

HARLOW: Do we know if he's talking?

FEYERICK: We don't.

HARLOW: Is he saying anything to police?

FEYERICK: Right now, usually what happens in a case like this, is they are going to treat his wounds as quickly as they possibly can. They need to make sure they keep him alive. And usually you'll get the best teams of emergency room doctors to make sure that happens because they do not want anything to go wrong because if he dies, all the information he has also dies with him. And they do not want that to happen.

So what will likely -- they will probably question him to the extent doctors allow, but they're going to have to get him into surgery. They're going to have to make sure that he is sedated. And what could potentially happen is once he is out of the danger zone, then they will effectively begin to question him within the confines of the hospital room.

HARLOW: All right, Deborah Feyerick, stay with me. I do want to go to Tom Fuentes, former FBI assistant director, former police officer himself and talk about this.

And as I do, I think everyone's thanks to law enforcement, that these 1,200 officers who have spent weeks on end hunting down this man and Richard Matt, putting their own lives at risk, Tom, frankly, to go after these two individuals. Now, they have taken David Sweat alive.

Tom, just your reaction to him and frankly, what he is wearing, clearly not prison gash.

[17:10:26] TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: No. It's pretty clear, Poppy, that the number of cabins that they probably broke into, they found enough clothing, boots, underwear, you know, possibly food and water to sustain them somewhat. And then they would obtain the bug bites and other effects of being outside when they moved from one location to another.

So -- but looking at the picture here of his capture, he appears in relatively good shape considering if he was shot twice, it doesn't look like life-threatening wounds just from this photo. Now, we will find out later, you know, what condition he is in.

But I'd like to say something about the likelihood of him talking. One of the things about guys, guys like this are typically very narcissistic. They will want their story - they want to brag, now smart he was, how great he was, how manipulative he was, how he convinced Joyce, how he convinced others at the prison to help them, how they engineered this escape.

But I think if the right team interrogates him, and I would have great confidence if it was an FBI team, because they would know exactly how to push his buttons and get him to brag about what they did.

HARLOW: Tom, when you look at a situation like this and how law enforcement encountered him two miles from the Canadian border, still though, relatively close to this prison in Dannemore where they escaped 23 days ago. Are you surprised ultimately in a search that has expanded as far as Mexico at times that he was indeed captured so close to where he fled from?

FUENTES: I am surprised because they could have gotten there the first time. You know, they had a six, eight, ten-hour head start from that prison. And they were only 22 or 25 miles from the border when they were in jail. So when they popped up that manhole cover, if they'd have gone north or northwest from there, they could have been in Canada before morning before anybody was even looking for them. They could have hitchhiked, they could have done just about anything to get there without arousing anybody's suspicion especially because they were in civilian clothes. And that is another surprising thing. You see these guys and the clothing they were able to make while in

prison and walk out the door in forest green. And then you saw Joyce Mitchell in custody, she looked like the poster child for Alcatraz with the white and black, you know, check jump suit. So you know, the fact that they have basically camouflage from the beginning and could have walked north, yes, they should have been in Canada three weeks ago.

HARLOW: All right, Tom, stay with me. Deborah Feyerick is still with me. Polo Sandoval is live in Malone, New York. That is, you know, very close to where he was within 20 miles of where he was shot and captured.

Polo, do we have any sense if there was any incentive whatsoever for him to talk? I mean, this is a guy that if he survives given the extent of his injuries, which we just don't know at this point in time, does he have any incentive to talk, to tell authorities how on earth he and Matt managed this?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a very good question, Poppy. Keep in mind, there were only two people that would be able to answer exactly where these two inmates have been the last three weeks. One of them is dead, Richard Matt. And now you have David Sweat, able to provide very curable information. Again, that's given the information that we have right now, that these two inmates were out in this wilderness really through the last three weeks.

So what's interesting here, Poppy, is we are right along route 30. It's about a 20-mile stretch that links Malone, New York with the trout river crossing into Canada. Officials here are blocking traffic here. We've seen several individuals that are driving through the rain trying to head into Canada. Many of them being turned around. And the process of trying to pull off those three-point turns. I've spoken to them. Asking them if it's an inconvenience. They said, not at all if this means finally bringing this to a close. Because we were here at the very beginning, Poppy, on early June on a rainy weekend when this all-out manhunt was launched. Three weeks later, in about 40 miles away from the Clinton correctional facility, where appears everything now has come to an end, again, on a very rainy weekend.

HARLOW: Polo Sandoval, thank you very much.

And I do want to get our viewers some more information. This just into us here at CNN. Coming to us from our Alexandra Field who is there on the ground covering this as well.

What we have learned from Alex's sources is that a New York state police sergeant on roving patrol saw David Sweat. After Sweat ran, the sergeant shot him. That is according to law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation. It does not appear according to this official, it does not appear that Sweat was armed.

Tom Fuentes, to you, our Alexandra Field learning that it does not appear according to a law enforcement source that Sweat was armed. Does that surprise you? [17:15:09] FUENTES: Yes, that surprises me. But it doesn't alter the

fact that the police officer did the right thing. You know, we know they took a couple shotguns and two or three hunting knives from the cabin last Saturday. And you would have to presume that Matt was not in possession of all of those items when he was shot. So you would, you know, have to assume that he had the other weapons or at least one of the other ones. That again, even with his bare hands, if he went into a house and took a family hostage, you know, he could kill them very easily with whatever tools or knives they had on hand. So there is no way once they had him spotted that they were going to take a chance that he got into the cover on the forest again and disappeared yet again and continued the threat to the local population. Especially, again, we have night fall approaching. He would have been though in the woods, yet one more night. So the fact that they were able to stop him, under any circumstances is -- he had the chance to surrender. If he didn't surrender and he took off running, then he made his own fate.

HARLOW: All right, Tom, stay with me.

I want to read also to the viewers, we just got this press release from the New York state police. Here's what they're saying. It says that at approximately 3:20 this afternoon, a member of the New York state police spotted a quote "suspicious man" walking down a road in the down of Constable. The state police member shot and injured Clinton correctional facility escapee David Sweat. Sweat was taken into police custody alive. He's being treated as we have reported at a local hospital. The New York state police now telling us his condition is unknown at this time. Again, his condition unknown at this time.

Deborah Feyerick, let's talk about this. 3:20 this afternoon. A member of New York state police spots a suspicious man walking down the road in the middle of the afternoon.

FEYERICK: Well, that is exactly right. That in and of itself would be suspicious. And clearly, they knew exactly what they were looking for. And so, the fact that they (INAUDIBLE), the fact they knew exactly what they were looking at, really significant. And their ability to respond. The New York state police, they have, you know, their elite teams up there. U.S. marshals, FBI, customs and border patrol, DHS, everybody is up there looking for these people. They knew they had a small window of time in which to find them, especially given the information that it appeared they were heading north- northwest direction towards the Canadian border.

Now, the Canadian officials and New York officials have been in constant communication throughout this entire process because clearly, once -- had he been able to get over that border, OK, he may have very well been spotted. And there are situations when, you know, U.S. can go inside, especially if you're in hot pursuit of somebody. But the fact that they were able to identify him, especially since he wasn't wearing the green prison garb, but dress in this camouflage.

HARLOW: Right. FEYERICK: He could have been just any ordinary hunter. Clearly, the

way he reacted, the way he responded. But I think it is significant. And one of the key things about this investigation is was he with Richard Matt who was had that shotgun when he was confronted and shot to death, three times in the head Richard Matt was shot and killed.

Interesting that here, the shots, you know, usually you're aiming for center mass. Usually you're aiming to kill. The fact that they were able to shoot in order to stop him, but get him alive, that also incredible tactical training right there to go on. Because your instinct in law enforcement would be shoot him, bring him down.

HARLOW: Sure.

FEYERICK: But again, you know, we've seen this in other situations like the Boston marathon case, they needed to get him alive. They need him to be alive. Because it's not just that these two men escaped. But now the entire prison, the entire correctional facility is going to be under investigation as to what happened.

HARLOW: Right.

FEYERICK: Why it happened. And the one things that was really interesting to me that I learned really just recently, and that is that all these prisoners know about these catwalks. It's not a secret. They go behind, because that's where all the breakers are. And so, if they want to quote-unquote "juice their fuse," which means get more electricity in order to lose hot plates, then that's how they do. They go in the back of the walls and they do that. And sometimes when correction officers have had a bad day with one of these guys, they'll also turn the breaker off so they don't get any light to the cell. So they knew about this.

HARLOW: Just before this, I interviewed New York governor Andrew Cuomo. We're going to play that for you a little bit later because that was obviously before this capture. But he talked about the investigation going into this prison and getting to the bottom of how this could happen to make sure that it never, never happens again.

Deb, stay with me.

Jean Casarez, I want to go to you. Jean is on the ground there right at the hospital. We are learning that Sweat is at the same hospital, Jean, where Joyce Mitchell went the night that she -- of the escape, the night that she did not pick them up in the vehicle with the whole plan to drive seven hours away, the fact that she had chest pains, went to that hospital for treatment, didn't show up to pick up these two escaped convicts, Jean. I'm interested to know what the people in this community have been telling you as they learn this news.

[17:20:29] CASAREZ: Well, the minute we got here, and we got here right after the caravan got here. I mean, the community just started coming out and it is raining hard and they continue to stay here because they are supporting law enforcement and they want to know exactly what's going to happen next. But they are really overjoyed in this. And what you are saying is we're at the Alice Hyde medical center.

And it was three weeks ago this weekend that that breakout occurred. And we do know that Joyce Mitchell checked herself into a hospital for an anxiety attack. And we have been able to confirm that this is where she went. So where David Sweat is right now inside, this is the same facility that Joyce Mitchell came to when she had her anxiety attack because as she admitted to law enforcement, she was supposed to be the getaway driver and then decided that she wasn't going to participate in all of that.

But this community has just had a lot of things recently, including so much activity at that -- at this particular hospital. But I do want to tell you, and I think we can show right here. And this is just an ambulance that's leaving the facility. But they can't park into the emergency area now because that is where David Sweat's ambulance is parked. And the law enforcement continue to come here.

A little bit ago, there was a van, a large police van that had a lot of people in it and went up into the parking lot of the emergency room. And they all got out and they went inside. And that is contrary to the other law enforcement just forming the blockades so people can't drive down the street. So we know even more law enforcement are inside that hospital where David Sweat is. But it's raining, but the community is here. And they finally feel safe again, Poppy.

HARLOW: I cannot imagine what they've been going through for the past few weeks. I'm glad to hear that they feel safe again.

Again, if you're just joining us, just an extraordinary past hour unfolding here as we have learned that David Sweat, that convicted murder who is sentenced to life imprison for shooting a sheriff's deputy 22 times, who escaped 23 days ago has now been apprehended by the authorities there, just two miles south of the Canadian border. You're looking at the first picture that we've seen of him obtained by our owned Deborah Feyerick. This is the first image taken of him since he escaped from prison. Bloodied, hot twice, but alive, alive with the hope that he will give the authorities all the information as to how this could have happened and who is responsible for helping him and Richard Matt escape from a maximum security prison that no one has ever managed to escape from in its 100-year history.

Joining me on the phone, someone who spent time there, Eric Jensen, a former inmate at Clinton correctional facility, who worked at the tailor shop. It is where both escapees also where. That is where Joyce Mitchell who allegedly helped them escape, also worked.

Eric, thank you for being with me, sir.

ERIC JENSEN, FORMER INMATE AT CLINTON CORRECTIONAL FACILITY (via phone): You're welcome, Poppy. How are you?

HARLOW: I'm well. What is your reaction to this?

JENSEN: It's -- I'm surprised that it didn't go down worse and I'm glad that it didn't go down worse with law enforcement and nobody else was injured. You brought up an interesting point before. How they were able to just walk down the street in these civilian clothes. And inside Clinton correctional facility, you're allowed to wear a Sweat suit, you're allowed to wear other things besides your state garment.

HARLOW: Really?

JENSEN: So he could have came out of that prison that night and walked down the street and nobody would have knew that they just escaped.

HARLOW: So you can't see this this picture, right? Are you watching CNN? Can you see the picture we're showing?

JENSEN: Yes. Him in the camouflage clothing, yes, I see that.

HARLOW: So what do you make of his appearance now? Does he look for pale?

JENSEN: He looks sick. He looks malnutritioned. He looks like he is just (INAUDIBLE) just ready to give up. I mean, could get a good night sleep and now have to look over his shoulder. Because he obviously looks like he lost a lot of weight since I last seen him. We used to work out together. He weighed good 180, 190 pounds when I knew him.

HARLOW: Let's talk about the relationship between Richard Matt and David Sweat. Did you see one as more of the ring leader if you will, one as the leader and the other as a follower?

[17:24:57] JENSEN: Yes, David Sweat was actually very smart, articulate when you spoke to him, you would not guess that he was in there for a murder, especially a murder of a law enforcement officer (INAUDIBLE).

Richard Matt was more of the like crazy -- he was a crazier person than Dave. So one was probably the brains, one was probably the brawn. One probably was the more, let's go do it, let's do it now. Let's do it now. So Dave probably sat there and figured out everything and Richard probably just kept pushing it and pushing it and pushing it. So they complimented each other in a sense.

HARLOW: Have you spoken to any other inmates, fellow inmates who are now out of prison? I don't know if you still keep in touch with some of them in prison and just their reaction the past three weeks to this? The fact that this is a facility where no one has escaped in a hundred years and the fact that it's playing out almost like a Hollywood film that we have learned that some of the tools were passed allegedly in frozen hamburger meat, you know, to the inmates in it, that was there was a sexual relationship, you know, with one of the correctional officers. I mean, it's just extraordinary. And I'm wondering what their reaction is in from people who are active prison.

JENSEN: I've spoken to a few people, not people that actually knew Richard Matt or David Sweat. But a few individuals that were in the penitentiary and a few others that I know. Their reaction is that there is no way that this could have happened without an inside helper. And there you have it, Joyce Mitchell with the hamburger meat with the tools. Officer Palmer not scanning that meat because he became so complacent with David and Richard because he knew them. He worked through them every day on the cell block. And now, it is like - if that facility (INAUDIBLE). And by them letting people go on the catwalks, rig their own electrical outlets up. And you know, I know about that because I paid somebody personally to go do that for me and it happened within the five minutes. (INAUDIBLE) back there to over fuse. And there you go. Now your fuse doesn't blow when you're cooking and watching TV at the same time.

HARLOW: So you are saying, paid --

JENSEN: It's really amazing.

HARLOW: Sorry to interrupt you, sir. You said, so you've paid an officer when you were an inmate there and they broke the rules willingly in.

JENSEN: Definitely, definitely. And that's not the only thing they break the rules doing. That's just one of many. They come search your cell. If you have cigarettes and chewing tobacco out in your cell, they'll take it unwritten rule. They will take it. They will put it in their pocket. They will ruffle your bed up and they can look like they searched yourself and there you go. They're onto the next cell. They don't even pay you no mind. If they get what they want, you get what you want.

HARLOW: Eric, you knew David Sweat. Do you think he's going to talk? If he's in a condition, if you know, we don't know how serious his medical condition is at this time. We do know he was shot twice. But if he is in the condition to talk, is this someone that's going to give police the information they want?

JENSEN: I honestly believe not because now that he's already sentenced to life in prison and now that he going to get an additional 50, 60 however many years they give him on top of this, plus ten, 15 or 20 years in solitaire confinement in (INAUDIBLE) in upstate new York, he has nothing to gain by giving information. I understand before when he was arrested on his initial crime, he did speak to officers. Maybe it was because he thought he'd again a linier sentence. But now that is already doing right and he know what is future holds, if he does pull through these gunshot wounds, I guarantee it, he won't talk.

HARLOW: Eric Jensen, former inmate at Clinton correctional facility. The same prison where David Sweat and Richard Matt escaped 23 days ago. Those two men on the lamb, no longer.

Eric, thank you very much. I appreciate it.

I want-- do we have Gary Tuchman on the phone with us? All right, we don't have Gary Tuchman. As soon as we do, we're going to bring you that as well. He has some more information for us.

Jean Casarez in the field there at the hospital, just your reaction. You've been covering this throughout. Your reaction, Jean. All right, we don't have jean either. Deborah Feyerick, to you.

FEYERICK: I'm here.

HARLOW: (INAUDIBLE) right in to this. What's your reaction?

FEYERICK: Well, you know, it's really stunning actually. One of the really big questions, we had heard all along that in fact they were -- they were picking things up but then then they were leaving other things behind. And there was concern -- there was some information that hay had left behind a pair of boots. Nobody really knew what that meant. But that it seems to suggest given how David Sweat is dressed, it seems to suggest that they effectively changed out their prison gear, changed out all of the things they were wearing in order to sort don this camouflage gear that David Sweat, as you can see from that picture is clearly wearing. He is sitting up. Someone who knew him described him as being very gaunt, very withdrawn. He was about 180, 190 pounds. Clearly, this three weeks on the run, they had been moving at a very fast tempo. And you can see that he's shot, he's bleeding. There is blood on the clothing. He's being handled by state troopers. They are the ones who effectively shot him. Apparently new information that he was coming down the road towards one of the state troopers and they saw him and shot him. The sergeant ordered Mr. Sweat to stop. But instead, he broke into a

run. And the man who shot him is actually a firearms instructor according to a source. Not clear how many shots were fired, though. Law enforcement sources who have been speaking to earlier said they do believe that it was once, possibly twice. So that's sort of the premise we're working on right now.

[17:30:48] HARLOW: Our Pamela Brown being told by her law enforcement source that Sweat was shot twice by that New York state trooper. We just don't know, as you said, where he's been shot and what his condition is.

Again, if you're just joining us, 5:30 eastern time, we continue to follow the breaking news here on CNN from upstate New York. After 23 days and millions and millions of dollars spent on the hunt for two escaped murders, the second one who was on the lamb, David Sweat has just been captured. He has been shot and captured. It all went down just before 3:30 this afternoon.

Take a look at the picture on your screen. This is an exclusive picture obtained by our Deborah Feyerick of a bloodied David Sweat shot by police twice in a field by a New York state police sergeant who we're told now spotted him walking by himself, looked strange, down a road, dressed in camouflage. Quickly realized, two miles south of the Canadian border, this, this is the man that 1,200 plus officers have been hunting for night and day.

This happening just about 48 hours to the minute since his fellow convicted murderer Richard Matt was shot and killed. Remember, Richard Matt was armed. We also learned from our Alexandra Field reporting that it does not look like David Sweat was armed. We do know his condition at this time. We do know he's being treated at a local hospital. Again, it does not appear that any officers were hurt in this

takedown. But we are trying to confirm that with all of our sources. Deborah Feyerick here with me live. We've got full team coverage on the ground.

Deborah Feyerick, what have you learned?

FEYERICK: We are learning is this happened a little bit after 3:30 this afternoon. Law enforcement saw David Sweat walking towards him, ordered him to stop. Apparently did not and that's when the New York state trooper opened fire. They were all in that area. David Sweat taken about three miles from the Canadian border. He is dressed in full camouflage gear. He is covered in blood. He's being treated at a local hospital in that area. Unclear what his condition is. He was gaunt. It appeared that he was carrying what appears to be some sort of knife holster on his waist. But we're being told he was not armed, certainly was not armed with a firearm it appears.

He was caught a significant distance from where hid colleague as fugitive, I should say, Richard Matt was shot and killed just Friday. And so, over the course of 48 hours, we know that he was able to make it from Malone, New York, all the way to Constable, New York. And that means he covered about 20 different miles. And we're told also that he was walking a trail between two -- they call it a fire break. So that what they do is they make these roads in between the woods so that if there is a fire, they can better contain it. So, it just doesn't serve sweep across and it appears that he was taking an easier route in order to get to the Canadian border as quickly as he possible could.

HARLOW: What are your law enforcement forces saying to you about how they feel now?

FEYERICK: Well, there's a significant sense of relief, you know. And you also have to think about the time of year that this is going on. A lot of parents this weekend sent their children up to camp up in upstate New York. And so, the fact that these now that both individuals have been effectively was taken down, one of them dead, one of them alive, clearly brings significant relief to all of them.

This has been an incredibly growling search for all those involved. There was days where it was 85 degrees and everybody was wearing flak jackets. There was other times where it was raining. The terrain was horrendous. People were sliding and slipping and getting bruised. And it was so dense that they could barely make it through the forest in some areas. So, somebody described it to me as looking for a needle in a stack of needles. It was that difficult in that (INAUDIBLE).

HARLOW: And the camouflage now we know. Now we know that he got this camouflage gear. We don't know where he got it from. But as we know, this area is dotted with these hunting cabins and that is gear that one would assume --

[17:34:59] FEYERICK: Easily.

HARLOW: So here you talk about a densely wooded area, fully camouflage.

Deborah Feyerick, thank you. Stay with me.

Polo Sandoval in the field there in constable, New York, right near where this all went down.

Polo, I'm interested in just the reaction from local people there. How do they feel now, so many of them living fear for the past three weeks?

SANDOVAL: Poppy, it really is incredible just how much relief that single picture of David Sweat in handcuffs is expected to provide for the people in these tiny towns in upstate New York. People have been living a nightmare for the last three weeks. We remember speaking to some of the individuals immediately following that jailbreak just over three weeks ago in this town of Dannemora which by the way is only about a 40 mile drive from where we are right now near the town Constable, just where it all happened. And people there locked their doors, they kept their children from going out, school activities, outdoor school activities were canceled for a while. And then just about four days ago when the search started shifting closer to the town of Malone, which is really the closest - larger town to where this all happened, people started locking the doors.