After nearly five hours of checking homes and yards, most police clear scene
View full sizePolice gather in at South State Street and East Beard Avenue in Syracuse following reports of a shot being fired Tuesday night. Syracuse, NY -- Several blocks in Syracuse’s South Side were locked down Tuesday night as police went door to door looking for a suspect who fired a gun while police were chasing him from a dice game.
A police quality-of-life patrol found a dice game in the 300 block of Baker Avenue around 6:15, Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler said. Three of the players ran off and were pursued on foot by two police officers. One of the three players ran behind a house and fired a shot, Fowler said.
No one was hurt, and police said they didn’t know if the shot was aimed at a police officer.
Police poured into the area. Police dogs and officers, some in SWAT-style black gear and helmets, searched house to house. Yellow crime scene tape ringed the area on both sides of Baker Avenue from West Colvin Street to Borden Street. Neighbors stood on porches and lawns watching police move from door to door.
Several neighbors said police had arrested two people, including a pregnant woman whom they said police had on the ground before they forcefully carried her from the scene.
At an 8:45 p.m. news conference, Fowler said no one had been arrested, but that two people had been detained. He said he had heard rumors that a woman was injured, but had no official reports of it. He told anyone who knew about the matter to call his office and it would be looked into.
No gun or shell casing had been found, he said. Fowler said police believed they knew the identity of the suspect, but did not release it.
Onondaga sheriff’s deputies and state police joined Syracuse police at the scene. A helicopter circled overhead and the county’s black Bearcat vehicle waited within the locked-down area.
Police continued to go from door to door talking to residents, attempting to make sure that no one was being held against their will. As areas were cleared, residents who had been away when the incident began were allowed back into their homes. As 11 p.m. neared, police took down the yellow tape, opening the area to traffic.
Contact Charles McChesney at cmcchesney@syracuse.com.