Syracuse police officer kills armed man in shooting near Walnut Park

A Syracuse police officer shot and killed an armed man in a shooting near Walnut Park late Sunday night, police said.

At around 10:52 p.m., a uniformed SPD officer stopped a vehicle on the 600 block of Walnut Avenue.  During the traffic stop, the male driver exited the vehicle, and fired several shots at the officer, according to a release from the Syracuse Police Department.

The officer returned fire, striking the man with at least one round of gunshots.  The man fell to ground, and the officer requested an ambulance and additional units to the scene, according to the release.

A weapon was recovered and officers began first aid treatment until the arrival of the ambulance.  The man was transported to Upstate University Hospital, where he died a short time later.  The name of the driver is being withheld pending notification of family, according to police.

According to procedure, the officer who discharged his weapon will be named within 72 hours.

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There were at least a dozen police officers at the scene, and several DPS and Syracuse Police Department vehicles were present. The emergency response was rapid, with sirens being heard just minutes after the shots were fired, according to witnesses.

Syracuse University released  the following statement about three hours after the shooting, “There is no danger to the SU community as a result of an incident that took place in the 600 block of Walnut Ave. at 10:54 p.m. on 10/9/16.”

The university did not send out an Orange Alert about the situation.

An investigation is ongoing, and police have interviewed people in area apartments.

This post will continue to be updated as the situation develops.