ALBANY - A trooper who police believe was shot by former fugitive Ralph “Bucky” Phillips was semiconscious Thursday after being in a medically induced coma since last month, state police said.

Trooper Donald Baker Jr., 38, was not talking, but he opened his eyes and moved his head for the first time since the Aug. 31 shooting, state police spokeswoman Rebecca Gibbons said.

Baker and Trooper Joseph Longobardo, 32, were ambushed by a sniper hiding in the woods outside the home of Phillips' former girlfriend. Baker was shot in the back.

Baker's family issued a statement Thursday thanking the public for continued support while he recovers.

“Donny's condition was recently upgraded from critical to “serious but stable” and he continues to show progress and improvement,” the statement said. “On today's date, Donny opened his eyes and recognized his wife, Tracy (and) his parents.”

The doctors took Baker off of sedation Thursday, and anticipated the semiconscious state, Gibbons said.

Longobardo, who was shot in the leg, died Sept. 3 from his injuries.

Phillips was accused of escaping from the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden April 2 by using a can opener to split a seam in a metal roof and make a 2-by-2-foot hole. The escape launched one of the state's largest manhunts. Police said Phillips shot three troopers while on the run, including Baker and Longobardo. The third trooper - Sean Brown - was shot in the stomach but survived.

Phillips surrendered after being cornered in a Pennsylvania field just across the state line this month and now faces charges including attempted murder.

State police have declined to say how many hours and how much money had been spent on the capture of Phillips. He had been named to the U.S. Marshals Service's 󈫿 Most Wanted” list and the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List - the latter just a day before he was captured.

Rewards had topped $400,000 for information leading to Phillips' arrest and conviction.

A career thief who has spent 24 of his 44 years behind bars, Phillips had been in jail since January on a parole violation.

After escaping, Phillips traveled around western New York state and into Pennsylvania, stealing vehicles and helping himself to food, clothes and guns in unattended homes and hunting cabins. He also received help from friends and family to stay a step ahead of police, authorities said.

Before his capture, Phillips had threatened “suicide by cop” and once promised to “to splatter pig meat all over Chautauqua County.”

AP-ES-09-21-06 2230EDT