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Local law enforcement and officials released the identity of the two officers who were fatally shot in Salina Sunday night. The two were “ambushed” with gunfire by a suspect, officials said at a Monday afternoon press conference.

The two officers killed, Syracuse Police Officer Michael Jensen and Onondaga County Sheriff’s Deputy Lt. Michael Hoosock, engaged in a shootout with the suspect in a local neighborhood after following up on a “suspicious vehicle” investigation, officials said. The shooter — who was identified as 33-year-old Christopher R. Murphy — was also killed.

Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecile and Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley outlined the timeline of what began as a “routine” attempted traffic stop and ended in an exchange of gunfire between the suspect and responding officers from the porch of a residential backyard.

“We have officers that are in their homes right now, grieving. We have officers out on the streets continuing to protect us while they’re grieving,” Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said at the conference. “We need our officers every day … today, they need us.”

The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office and the Syracuse Police Department have not had an officer killed in the line of duty in over three decades, said Joe Morand, the president of the Syracuse Police Benevolent Association.

SPD first attempted to stop the car around Emerson Avenue and Hamilton Street, Cecile said. When Jensen and an unnamed officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the suspect fled the scene and was later reported to have traveled at speeds of around 100 mph.

After obtaining the vehicle’s license plate and finding that it was associated with a firearm, Cecile said SPD officers were dispatched to a home on Darien Drive in Salina’s Liverpool suburb — where they originally intended to inspect it. Shelley said Hoosock also responded to the scene after SPD asked for assistance from the sheriff’s office.

When attempting to establish a perimeter around the house, officers heard a “gun being manipulated” and subsequently took cover, Cecile said. Murphy then began to shoot at the officers using a Springfield AR-15, Shelley said, to which the officers returned fire, killing the suspect. Police have not determined whether the rifle was purchased legally, Shelley said.

Another suspect, who attempted to flee the scene by jumping over the backyard fence, was arrested and taken into custody in connection with the incident, Shelley said. Charges have not yet been brought up against the individual but authorities believe he was a friend of the shooter.

Jensen and Hoosock were taken to Upstate University Hospital, where they later died, Morand said. He also said over 100 Syracuse law enforcement officers gathered around the hospital in support of the two men Sunday night.

“There’s nothing routine out there in this day and age in law enforcement,” Cecile said. “They go to roll call every day, put on their uniform and hit the streets to protect and serve. At any given moment … some routine call can take their lives.”

Throughout the conference, several Syracuse officials expressed their condolences for the two men and emphasized the grief felt within the local law enforcement community. Funeral arrangements for the slain officers will be released at a later date, Morand said.

Jensen served on SPD’s force for a little over two years, Cecile said. Several speakers, including Morand, highlighted Jensen’s dedication to his work on the force and his “infectious, charming personality.”

Hoosock had worked at the sheriff’s office since 2007 and was promoted this past June, Shelley said. A father of three young children, he received a medal of valor in 2020, worked in the critical emergency management department and served as a volunteer firefighter, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said.

“Unfortunately, an evil demon took him away from us, and his family, and Lieutenant Hoosock, and his family and his children,” Morand said. “There is not a dry eye over at the public safety building … the emotions are indescribable.”

Police officials said they are unsure why Murphy — whose only prior arrest was for a 2014 DWI — opened fire against the officers. Cecile said the department is looking into “something in (Murphy’s) past” that may have contributed to his actions but will not yet release that information publicly.

The investigation is ongoing, according to an SPD spokesperson.

Published on April 15, 2024 at 8:35 pm

Contact Julia: jmboehni@syr.edu