Cop Accused of Shooting Man Outside Landmark Hudson Valley Bar

An off-duty police officer is accused of shooting another man outside of a popular Hudson Valley bar.

On Friday around 11:30 p.m., the Town of Newburgh Police responded to the Golden Rail Ale House for the report of an altercation. Upon arrival, police found a 36-year-old man lying in the parking lot with a wound to his leg that was bleeding profusely, police say. While police were administering first aid, it was discovered the man was shot in an altercation with another bar patron, according to the Town of Newburgh Police Department.

Police learned through interviews, the unnamed 36-year-old man was inside the bar and had a verbal argument with a woman. Another man, later identified as 40-year-old Michael J. Taback of the Town of Newburgh, who was with the woman, confronted the shooting victim.

After a brief verbal argument, the 36-year-old man exited the bar into the parking lot and was talking with a friend. Taback and the woman female exited the bar a short time later, where all three began to have another verbal confrontation.

The verbal confrontation turned physical with Taback striking the victim several times in the head with a pistol, police say. Witnesses said the physical confrontation continued in the parking lot, ending when the man fired one round from a gun that struck the 36-year-old in the leg.

A weapon, which is believed to have been used in the shooting, was recovered, according to the Town of Newburgh Police Department. Taback was charged with first-degree assault. He bail was set at $50,000 bond.

Taback is an 18-year veteran police officer who has served Tuxedo Park Police as a police officer, a detective and a sergeant, according to a GoFundMe he started after being hurt on the job.

David Conklin, the Tuxedo Park Police Department Chief of Police, confirmed to Hudson Valley Post Taback is a sergeant with the Tuxedo Park Police Department who has been out on medical leave since August 2019. Conklin said he couldn't comment on the incident until he has learned of all the facts.

The Golden Rail Ale House, which was featured in the movie Super Troopers confirmed the incident involved two customers outside of the bar, but had nothing to do with the bar.

"Two individuals had their interaction escalate to a point that should never be achieved, here or elsewhere, and one individual was shot. Bullets didn’t fly. One bullet was discharged, in the parking lot. It had absolutely ZERO to do with the bar, our staff, or our regulars. Nothing," The Golden Rail Ale House wrote on Facebook following the shooting. "We have worked hard, for over 25 years, to make the bar an extension of our living room. We don’t judge people by what they look like, who they love, or how much they have in their bank account. Just be a good person, with good intentions... and you’ll find yourself welcomed by our friendly regulars. This isolated incident is not what we’re about, and thousands of people know that. We wish a speedy recovery to the victim, and for law enforcement to have the proper determination of the culpability of the alleged assailant."