Syracuse police have identified the armed man who was shot and killed by a Syracuse police officer late Sunday night near Walnut Park.

Deric Brown, 41, of Syracuse was killed by a police officer during a traffic stop after firing at the officer, Syracuse Police Department Chief Frank Fowler said Monday at a press conference held to provide more details on the shooting.

Brown had a history of weapons possession offenses. He was arrested on the charge of attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree in 1999, according to New York state inmate records. He spent almost two years in prison for the offense, from January 1999 through January 2001, according to the inmate records.

Brown was also arrested in 2004 on the charges of criminal possession of a weapon in the second and third degrees, per the inmate records. He spent just under six years in prison after receiving those charges, from March 2004 until December 2009, according to the inmate records.

Brown was pulled over Sunday night because his car’s taillights weren’t on, Fowler said. When the unidentified police officer approached Brown’s car, the officer noticed a firearm in Brown’s possession, Fowler said.

The officer then began retreating to his car, at which point Brown left his car and fired an undisclosed number of shots at the officer, Fowler said. The officer returned fire, striking Brown with at least one round of gunshots, Fowler said.

There was no body camera or other police video that recorded the shooting, Fowler said, but he added that police have video from a third party. He declined to say whether the video is of the shooting or if it was taken after the shooting.

The entire incident — from when the officer approached Brown’s vehicle until the shots were exchanged — occurred in a span of less than two minutes, Fowler said.

Brown died from his injuries a short time after being transported to Upstate University Hospital. The officer was not injured.

Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner, also at the press conference, said that when evidence from the shooting is released to the public, it will clear the officer of wrongdoing.

“I believe that you will see that this is an unfortunate event, but that we had an excellently trained police officer who made the right decision,” Miner said.

Fowler, though, said police are waiting until the outcome of the ongoing investigation to draw conclusions about the shooting.

Syracuse University did not notify the campus community or make a public comment about the incident until early Monday morning, more than three hours after the shooting. Fowler declined to answer a question about the delayed notice or the lack of an Orange Alert, saying that SU officials would be better equipped to do so.

The officer involved in the shooting is currently on administrative leave, per protocol, Fowler said. The name of the officer will be released within 72 hours of the shooting.

Published on October 10, 2016 at 1:18 pm

Contact Michael: mdburk01@syr.edu