A dispute ended in gunfire in a popular Syracuse nightlife neighborhood early Sunday morning, leaving one man dead and police looking for a shooter. Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh calls it unacceptable.
Jamal Kearse, 25, of Syracuse, died at Upstate University Hospital, after being shot several times outside an Armory Square bar just after midnight. Walsh said it wasn’t a matter of security — an Armory Square police detail meant to quell violence, was very close by.
"There were police officers feet away from the incident," Walsh said. "This Armory Square detail has been in place for many years and will continue to be. We're continuing to work with the county and having their probation officers make their rounds as well. These individuals had no regard for their surroundings."
Walsh blames the shooting on individuals using guns to solve personal disputes.
"It was a result of people with bad intent that went out carrying guns and happened to run into other people that they had conflict with and chose to try to resolve that conflict with gunfire," Walsh said. "It's totally unacceptable. We will not tolerate it. We will hold those responsible accountable and bring them to justice."
Walsh said this dynamic is something he hopes a new gun violence initiative can address.
"The Safer Streets Initiative is intended to focus on that and to help individuals learn safe and healthy ways to resolve conflict, to deal with their own trauma and violent ideations," Walsh said. "So yes, when you look at the ages of those that were involved, they fit within the demographic of those that we intend to target through Safer Streets."
Police say an investigation remains active and ongoing.
