Broome County Sheriff's Office, New York
End of Watch: Thursday, July 4, 2002
Age: 36
Tour of Duty: 13 years
Badge Number: 143
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: July 4, 2002
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Deputy Sheriff Kevin Tarsia was shot and killed in Kirkwood, New York, at approximately 4:00 am when he encountered suspects from a burglary at a firearms store that had occurred in Great Bend, Pennsylvania.
Deputy Tarsia was patrolling Grange Hall Park, just above the New York - Pennsylvania border, when the incident occurred.
The suspects were transferring the guns they had stolen from one vehicle to another when they were approached by Deputy Tarsia. Two of the subjects opened fire on Deputy Tarsia, firing a total of 15 rounds at him. After killing Deputy Tarsia, the men stole his service weapon and several other items from his patrol car and fled.
All three subjects were captured three days later. Two were charged in New York with first-degree murder, and the third was charged with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. All three were also charged with burglary in Pennsylvania. The two men who shot Deputy Tarsia were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
On June 6th, 2015, one of the men escaped from the Clinton Correctional Center along with a second convict who was serving time for murder. He remained at large for approximately three weeks until being shot and taken back into custody on June 28th, 2015, near the Canadian border following a massive manhunt. A second convict who had escaped with him was shot and killed several days prior.
Deputy Tarsia had served with the Broome County Sheriff's Office for 13 years. He is survived by his parents, three brothers, two sisters, nieces, and nephews.