Police officer, sheriff’s deputy, shooter killed in exchange of gunfire

LIVERPOOL, N.Y. — A police officer and a sheriff’s deputy in upstate New York were shot and killed Sunday night in an exchange of gunfire with another person, who also was killed, police said.

The shooting took place shortly after 8 p.m. in suburban Liverpool, about 6 miles north of Syracuse.

The Syracuse Police Department and Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office were tracking a vehicle that had eluded police earlier, Syracuse Police Chief Joseph Cecile said during a news conference.

Two Syracuse police officers unsuccessfully attempted to stop a suspicious vehicle but got the license plate and tracked it to an address on Darien Drive in Liverpool. They requested assistance from the sheriff ’s office after learning the vehicle’s driver might be armed, Cecile said.

The officers found the vehicle at the home and saw what appeared to be guns inside the auto. They then “heard what sounded like someone manipulating a firearm from inside the residence,” Cecile said.

At least one person then exchanged gunfire with the officers. The Syracuse officer, sheriff ’s deputy and the suspect were shot and brought to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse.

All three were pronounced dead at the hospital, Cecile said. Their names were not immediately released.

“We lost two heroes tonight,” Cecile said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was “horrified by the senseless killing” of the two officers.

“My prayers are with their families, loved ones, and their colleagues,” the governor posted on X. “New York will never forget their heroism and service.”