A police officer and a sheriff’s deputy were shot and killed after confronting a driver who failed to stop Sunday in upstate New York, police said.
The so far unidentified suspect was also killed in the shooting outside his home, police said.
The Syracuse Police Department said in a statement that its officers spotted a “suspicious vehicle” shortly after 7 p.m. Sunday between Emerson Avenue and Hamilton Street on the city’s west side.
Police attempted to stop the car but the driver “refused to stop and fled the scene,” the release said. Officers traced the license plate to a home in Liverpool, in Onondaga County, north of Syracuse, and police requested help after receiving information that the suspect may be armed, he added.
“Shortly after arriving, police officers and sheriff’s deputies were encountered by an armed man and an exchange of gunfire ensued,” the statement said.
The police officer and deputy from the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office were taken to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, where life-saving measures were unable to prevent both from dying from the injuries. consequences of their injuries. Neither have been publicly identified.
“We lost two heroes tonight, men who answered the call of duty and put on the badge to protect the community,” Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecile said during a press conference.
Cécile said the slain police officer was young and had held the position for three years.
Sheriff Tobias Shelley said the fallen deputy was experienced, well-liked and “just a great guy.”
“This is a dark day for Syracuse,” Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said at the news conference. “This is our worst nightmare come true. Our thoughts at this time are with the families of these two officers, with these heroes.”
“If anyone knows a police officer’s family, give them a hug. It’s their worst nightmare,” he added.
Dozens of police officers lined the street and saluted the ambulance carrying the officers’ bodies, police lights flashing silently, as it passed the Syracuse Police Department.
Anyone with information about the incident is “strongly encouraged” to contact the Syracuse Police Department.
The incident is the latest in a long list of attacks on law enforcement officers, with more than 100 shootings across the United States this year, according to Joe Gamaldi, national vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police.
A Memphis police officer was killed in a shooting Friday after police responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle.