SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- It was a chaotic scene when Officer Kelsey Francemone arrived near Skiddy Park on Father's Day night. When gunshots rang out, according to District Attorney Willliam Fitzpatrick, she ran toward them -- without any backup. It was then that the DA says she was attacked.
"She was kicked, pushed to the ground, and people actually tried to rip off parts of her uniform and retrieve her service weapon," Fitzpatrick said.
Those were just some details the DA released Tuesday about the incident. Eleven people were arraigned in Onondaga County Court, accused of inciting a riot, a felony charge.
"You can't 'yell let it rain on the pigs.' You can't yell 'we have guns too.' You can't yell 'let's kill the cops,' " Fitzpatrick said. "That crosses a threshold. That's like yelling 'fire' in a crowded theatre. And that's what these individuals are charged with and that's what they allegedly did."
Fitzpatrick says when other officers arrived on the scene, they too were attacked. In total, 37 shots rang out during the incident.
We also are told Officer Francemone discharged her weapon during the incident. But at this time, the DA says the investigation is ongoing.
"This is a painstaking process, to gather shell casings, to review videos, to gather ballistics, who fired which shot, what weapons can be recovered, was Mr. Porter armed, was he not armed," Fitzpatrick asked.
Once those questions are answered and the investigation is complete, Fitzpatrick says he will share those results with the department of justice and the community.
Also, someone that has been vocal about this incident has been Syracuse Police Benevolent Association President Jeff Piedmonte, who echoed some of the district attorney's sentiments. The PBA president said he was pleased the grand jury indicted 11 people. He said this indictment is not only important for the officers involved but also those who were at the party and were not involved the chaotic scene.
"This is a tough situation to be in, because it takes months to do the grand jury process," Piedmonte said. "There's a lot of evidence they want to have analyzed and because [of that], it's taken quite a while.
"[Francemone] also had a lot of threats on her life. Her family's life was disrupted," Piedmonte continued, adding Francemone is eager to get back to work.
Some of the individuals who were indicted were in court Tuesday, but will return Wednesday morning for a formal arraignment.
Those charged with inciting a riot include:
- KaVecce Fulwiley, 18
- Shaquan Bibbs, 23
- Jamie Crawford, 40
- Takim Hawkins, 27
- Arthur Hunter, 24
- Resheena Jenkins-Ortiz, 31
- Arthur King, 26
- Edwright LaFlair, 18
- Johanen Pizzarro, 17
- Luis Reyes, 23
- Elonzo Wilson, 17