Syracuse New York Police Chief: Officers 'Corageous, Strategic and Decisive' in Shootout

By Jon Moss

Source syracuse.com

SYRACUSE, NY — Syracuse Police Chief Joseph Cecile on Tuesday praised the actions of police officers who exchanged gunfire last month with a man who fired a gun in an apartment building.

In the encounter, an officer fatally shot the man when he fired at police, authorities said.

The state Attorney General’s Office released videos Monday that captured the interactions between police officers and the man, Donnell Hogan.

Cecile told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard that the officers who responded May 13 to reports of shots fired inside and outside of an apartment building were “strategic, decisive, and courageous.”

“None of these officers started their shifts expecting or wanting an interaction such as this, but all of them were prepared when it did happen,” he said in a statement. “They entered the occupied residential building to stop an active shooter from injuring or killing others, and in doing so, put their own lives in jeopardy.”

The encounter between police officers and Hogan lasted only a few seconds.

Officers responded at about 9:55 p.m. that evening to the Moses Dewitt House apartment building at 212 N. Townsend St. after reports that shots had been fired inside and outside the building. Hogan was fatally shot seven minutes later.

In two videos, the encounter can be seen from two perspectives.

One view is from the body camera of Syracuse police officer Conlan McGuire, who is with fellow officer Chris Mazzotti down the hall from Hogan.

Mazzotti stands in front of McGuire in the video. They appear to partially take cover behind a corner in the hallway, with their rifles raised around the bend.

An officer can be heard identifying himself as the police and directing Hogan repeatedly to put his hands in the air.

A shot rings out. Hogan had fired a handgun, the AG’s office said.

Another shot rings out. Mazzotti had fatally shot Hogan, the AG’s office said.

The AG’s office did not release any footage from Mazzotti’s body camera. That’s because no footage was recorded, according to Kieran Coffey, a police department spokesperson.

Coffey said Mazzotti had accidentally pressed the record button once on his body camera. It must be pressed twice to start recording.

Another view of the encounter is from the body camera of Syracuse police officer Richard Bougourd.

A resident can be seen helping Bougourd and other officers enter the building. They head with their rifles into a stairwell and up to the second floor.

The officers briefly stop to coordinate what they will do next.

An officer then opens a door to the second floor. Bougourd turns to the right and Hogan can be seen in a wheelchair.

An officer yells “gun” several times.

The sound of two shots in quick succession can be heard.

The AG’s office is investigating Hogan’s death. It has special powers under state law to investigate any deaths that result from an action, or inaction, of law enforcement officers, including corrections officers.

The AG’s office has not determined yet whether to bring charges against any of the police officers.

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