The investigation into the officer-involved shooting on Father's Day in Syracuse is complete. The district attorney confirms Officer Kelsey Francemone fired the shot that killed an armed Syracuse man. A grand jury determined the shooting was justified. Our Iris St. Meran has more details that lead up to the incident.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- For several weeks, many people had questions about what led to that fateful night at a Father's Day cookout. Gary Porter was shot and killed near Skiddy Park. Officer Kelsey Francemone was the first, and for a period of time, the only responding officer, who authorities say was attacked. Friday, District Attorney William Fitzpatrick filled in some of the blanks.
Fitzpatrick said, "Officer Kelsey Francemone, while working alone, responded to a call of a man down in the 300 block of Otisco Street."
He explained she was unable to locate the man, but came upon a large crowd of about 300 to 400 people. He said she called for backup and then she radioed again.
In audio from her radio, Francemone told dispatch, “I got shots fired."
In the video released by authorities, you can see the crowd running from Stone Court and Officer Francemone running toward the action. The district attorney said Francemone observed three men firing weapons, who refused to drop them when ordered.
Fitzpatrick said she fired her weapon as she approached, they began to flee and she pursued. However, her gun malfunctioned. She went to clear her weapon when Fitzpatrick said Francemone saw a man later identified as Porter firing his gun. She pursued and fired at him as he turned toward her.
“He was turning in an effort to discard his weapon, apparently,” Fitzpatrick said. “That’s what she took as a threatening motion toward her. Any police use of force expert will confirm that her actions were justified.”
Porter was shot once in his upper back. Witnesses said they saw him throwing his weapon, which has not been recovered. Authorities say after he was shot, even more chaos ensued. Francemone radioed, "I need assistance now."
"At this point, Officer Francemone was set up on by a mob,” Fitzpatrick added. “She was beaten, groped and attempts to rip her uniform off were made, along with efforts to take her firearm, until she was rescued by brother officers."
The district attorney explained there were 37 shell casings recovered, and seven of those came from Francemone. Witness testimony, along with an investigation, confirmed Porter was armed, and gunshot residue was also found on his hands.
"The facts are that Mr. Porter had a .12 blood alcohol content, along with traces of marijuana, in his system, and he has a long history of possessing illegal firearms in Onondaga County," said Fitzpatrick.
The investigation is still ongoing. Fitzpatrick said more arrests are possible, because there were multiple people seen firing weapons. Fitzpatrick said he's spoken to Francemone, who is anxious to get back to work. Syracuse Police say she is still on leave, and no return date has been set at this point.