(NationRise.com) – Two police officers are dead after a shootout that took place in upstate New York.
The incident began on the night of April 14th. The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department said it was monitoring a vehicle that refused to stop after police attempted to pull it over. Authorities canvassed the area and eventually found the car at a nearby home. The officers also saw guns inside the vehicle.
The two officers then detected “what sounded like someone manipulating a firearm” inside the home. The suspect began shooting at the police officer shortly after. Both officers were killed. The shooting occurred in Liverpool, a city located about six miles outside of Syracuse. The suspect was also killed.
Joseph Cecile, the police chief of Syracuse, told reporters that two heroes were lost in the line of duty. The officers were later identified as Lt. Michael Hoosock, who also spent time working as a volunteer firefighter, and Michael Jensen, who won the Officer of the Month award in December 2023 at the Syracuse Police Department. Jensen was the officer who initially attempted to pull the vehicle over. The shooter was identified as 33-year-old Christopher Murphy. A friend of Murphy’s was detained as he tried to flee from the house. He later told authorities that Murphy told him to leave after saying that he wasn’t going to jail.
The tragedy marked the first time police officers have been gunned down in Onondaga County in 34 years. Undercover cop Wallie Howard Jr. was murdered in October 1990 during a drug operation. Ben Walsh, the mayor of Syracuse, called it a “dark day” and a “nightmare come true.”
Kathy Hochul, who currently serves as New York’s Democrat governor, said she was “horrified” by the murders. She also said the officers will be remembered for their heroism.
Murphy only had one DUI charge on his record that took place over ten years ago. He had maintained a clean record since.
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