CV NEWS FEED // A man shot and killed a pair of law enforcement officers who were responding to a call Sunday night just outside of Syracuse, NY.
The officers’ tragic deaths in the line of duty come just days after Memphis police officer Joseph McKinney was slain in a shootout with two teenagers.
The victims in the Salina, NY shooting were sheriff’s deputy Lt. Michael Hoosock and Syracuse police officer Michael E. Jensen. The officers’ names were released to the public Monday afternoon.
Salina is a northern suburb immediately outside of Syracuse.
Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick mid-Monday confirmed that the perpetrator was Christopher R. Murphy, 33, a Salina resident.
The New York Post reported that the two officers and Murray were all “pronounced dead at the hospital from their injuries.”
FOX News described that “[t]he incident began at about 7:07 p.m. on Sunday when Syracuse police officers spotted a ‘suspicious vehicle.’”
“Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused and instead fled the area,” FOX continued. The driver was later revealed to be Murphy.
“The officers lost sight of the vehicle but managed to record the license plate,” FOX went on:
After checking the vehicle registration, officers determined where the owner resided in Salina.
Officers, joined by Onondaga County Sheriff’s deputies, responded to the address and found the vehicle parked at a residence on Darien Drive.
Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecile recounted: “While [officers] were inspecting the vehicle and saw what appeared to be guns inside, they heard what sounded like someone manipulating a firearm from inside the residence.”
“Moments later, there was an exchange of gunfire between at least one suspect and the officers and deputies,” Cecile added.
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The Post noted that “Murphy was previously charged in 2014 with driving while intoxicated by the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office.”
In addition, he “was also charged with resisting arrest and failure to keep right,” per the Post.
“We lost two heroes tonight,” Cecile stated shortly after the shooting.
“This is a dark day for Syracuse,” Mayor Ben Walsh told reporters. “This is our worst nightmare come true.”
“Our thoughts right now are with the families of those two officers, two heroes, and if anyone knows the family member of a police officer, give them a hug,” Walsh, an independent, continued.
The mayor emphasized that “we just need to be there for everyone in the law enforcement community today.”
NewsNation reported that on Sunday night, “[o]utside Upstate University Hospital, hundreds of first responders lined up to support their injured brothers.”
“Once they had passed away, those officers stood at attention and saluted when the bodies were moved from the emergency department to the medical examiner’s office in a procession,” NewsNation added.
This show of solidarity extended well beyond the Syracuse area.
A Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) lodge in Glendale, AZ wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Please pray for the family and friends of the [Syracuse Police Officer] and [Onondaga County Sheriff] Deputy shot and killed last night.”
“And for our [thin blue line] across this land,” the FOP continued. “It will hold.”
Actor James Woods wrote on X: “Another tragic waste of good lives, while the scum go free to wreak havoc on civilization in every blue city and state.”
CatholicVote reported Friday: “Memphis, TN police officer Joseph McKinney died after he was fatally wounded in a shootout with a pair of teenagers,” early that morning.
“In addition, the teenager suspected of killing McKinney in the line of duty was reportedly arrested and released without bond last month,” CatholicVote noted.
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