Residents in a quiet neighborhood in the Town of Salina are still trying to make sense of a shoot-out Sunday evening that took the lives of two law enforcement officers and the suspect. All three died at the hospital. Authorities say it all began when Syracuse Police tried to pull over a suspicious vehicle in the Tipperary Hill neighborhood shortly after 7 p.m., but the driver fled. The male suspect was tracked down a short time later at a residence on Darien Drive in Salina. That’s where the suspect exchanged gunfire with SPD and Onondaga County Sheriff's deputies. Town Supervisor Nick Paro says residents notified him via text message.
“People heard all of the gunshots. They saw the police presence Air One [sheriff's helicopter] in the air. They were worried about it," Paro said. "A lot of them have young children in that neighborhood. That's a family neighborhood. It's not a neighborhood where you would expect gunshots in general, let alone loss of life. So people were very concerned about it. Fortunately, I was able to talk with the Sheriff's Office and communicate with those folks directly and let them know.”
Paro says both the County Sheriff’s Office and Syracuse Police did a great job securing the neighborhood. Paro says one of his staff members personally knew the sheriff's deputy who died… and he was regarded a friend of the community and to volunteer firefighters.
“He is not much older than I am and my heart goes out to him and his family. It’s a tragic situation."
Paro says he has received several text messages from residents. He appreciates the thoughts, but says thoughts and prayers must continue to go to the officers’ families. Paro says we must also think about the grieving officers of the Syracuse Police Department and Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office. Stay with WAER for continuing coverage.
