Jan. 26, 2023 An 18-year-old man faces attempted murder charges after he began firing at three Syracuse police officers in an unmarked SUV, with one bullet nearly hitting an officer in the head.
By Anne Hayes Source syracuse.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
SYRACUSE, NY— Chilling videos released by Syracuse police Wednesday show how a person opened fire on three police officers Tuesday afternoon.
The person, who was walking across Fabius Street, ran when officers pulled up in an unmarked SUV.
The person turned and opened fire on the officers, forcing them to duck and seek shelter by the car. One bullet just missed an officer’s head, police said.
Syracuse police have charged an 18-year-old — Tajh E. Smith of Salina — with three counts of attempted murder for trying to kill three officers, said Police Chief Joe Cecile said Wednesday at a news conference.
“It’s always disheartening,” Cecile said.
It all happened about 3:35 p.m. Tuesday when the officers saw a man acting suspiciously at Fabius and Oswego Street, Cecile said. The man reached into his waistband before pretending to urinate in the street, he said.
Three officers wearing badges and vests emblazoned with “police” began leaving the car as the man — who police have identified as Smith — opened fire, Cecile said. The officers were members of the warrant squad.
The officers were two plainclothes detectives, Mamoun Abraham and Christopher DeJoseph, and one plain-clothed officer, Patricia Sargeant, police said.
One shot hit the passenger side mirror of the police vehicle, Cecile said. DeJoseph was very close to the mirror and the bullet nearly hit his head, which could have killed him, according to a criminal complaint filed in City Court.
Cecile said the flying debris seen in the video shows shots were being fired at the officers.
The officers did not fire back at Smith because he was already fleeing, Cecile said.
Smith ran away and menaced a resident, Cecile said. Eventually, police found Smith in the 500 block of Tully Street, he said.
Smith still had the handgun and dropped it when police ordered him to, police said.
The handgun was a Springfield Armory .45 caliber with one bullet still in the chamber, according to court documents.
Cecile thanked the community for helping find the suspect during the foot chase.
“He was a danger to both the police and the citizens and we responded in partnership, community and police, by working together to apprehend him,” he said.
Smith is being held at the Onondaga County Justice Center jail, according to county records.
Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said at the news conference Smith is facing a potential life sentence for each of the first-degree attempted murder charges.
Mayor Ben Walsh said: “I go out of my way to try to engage with officers and get to know them as human beings and as fathers and brothers and sisters and mothers,” he said. “That’s what I see when I see a video like that, I see somebody’s family member.”