Teenager killed in shooting near Syracuse University
The men are still at large
Campus was placed on lockdown last night after a 15-year-old boy was shot dead on Hope Avenue.
At 8.30pm, Orange Alert sent out a message in the form of text, e-mail, and phone call.
It read: “SPD investigating crime off campus, shelter in place. Remain in door, don’t let anyone in, stay out of Oakwood Cemetery, report suspicious activity.”
The shooting took place at 148 Hope Avenue, two miles away from Syracuse campus. The suspects then drove towards Oakwood Cemetery where they fled the vehicle and ran into the cemetery.
According to police, they fired multiple shots at the officers, who did not fire back.
Upon arriving at the address, officers found a 17-year-old who was shot in the knee and Zavion Escobar, 15, who is said to have died at the scene.
The 17-year-old was rushed to Upstate University Hospital where he was treated for life-threatening injuries and is expected to survive.
Syracuse University issued a lockdown which lasted for two hours while the cops were searching for the suspects.
Students in S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication were moved into the lab while students in Day Hall, located on the mount, were advised to stay away from windows. DPS officers were also stationed at Bird Library to make sure students didn’t leave.
Grishma, a freshman at SU, was in a meeting when she got the alert. She sheltered in Bird Library until the lockdown was lifted.
She said: “I was quite shocked to be honest, when I got the first alert I didn’t realize the severity of the situation because there wasn’t much information.
“But as time went by, more information was revealed and I started to get anxious. We were thankfully safe by then.”
“DPS did a very good job by making sure people did not panic through constantly updating the students and sending out alerts, emails, etc. that we received.”
The school has since issued a statement about last nights events.
Department of Public Safety’s Chief Bobby Maldonado said: “Though this incident did not happen on campus and did not involve anyone from the University, we took an abundance of caution this evening as the safety and well-being of all members of our campus community remains our top priority.”
The suspects are at large, and Syracuse Police Department is urging anyone who sees suspicious activity or has information regarding this incident to report it at 442-5222.
Counseling services are also being provided to help those that are stressful and emotional at this time. Contact the 24-hour counseling services hotline at 315.443.4715 and press “0” after the prompt to speak with a therapist.