Syracuse, N.Y. — More than five days after Syracuse police officers shot and killed a woman on the Tipperary Hill, the department is refusing to release the names of the officer or officers involved in the shooting.
In previous cases, the department has typically released the names of officers involved within about 72 hours of the shooting, which would have been Saturday.
The department’s failure to release officers’ names comes days after the department said it would no longer release any information when officers have killed someone and the case is being investigated by the New York State Attorney General’s Office.
Syracuse police spokesman Sgt. Matthew Malinowski said today the department will not release the names.
Contacted by Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, a spokesperson for the AG’s office said the state plans to release officers names later today.
The shooting happened early Wednesday morning on Ulster Street, the AG’s office said. Allison Lakie, 33, was shot and killed by Syracuse police after she lunged at officers with a knife, according to the AG’s office. Syracuse police have only confirmed that officers fatally shot someone.
Syracuse Police Chief Kenton Buckner said the AG’s office asked them to allow information about the shooting to be released by the AG’s office. The office said it has not barred police departments from releasing information about such cases.
Despite taking the lead on the shooting, the office of Attorney General Letitia James has so far declined to answer many basic questions on the killing by police.
SPD’s and the AG office’s secrecy in handling the case contrasts to how Syracuse police have handled police shootings in the past and how many other departments in the state handle cases investigated by the AG’s office.
In the past, the Syracuse police have often released details about what happened the same day and often held a news conference within 24 hours to release more information and answer questions. The department also almost always released names of the officers involved a little more than 72 hours after the shooting.
Police in other cities such as Rochester, Buffalo and New York have shared information when police fatally shoot or kill someone and the case was being handled by the AG’s office, according to a Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard review of recent cases.
Between April 1 and Aug. 21, the AG’s office has investigated nine fatal police shootings. In all cases, the local police department or the state police provided details about what happened.
The AG’s office spokeswoman confirmed that the office suggests that police departments refer questions regarding these investigations to their office.
Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard sent a list of questions to both the police department and the attorney general’s office about the shooting, including:
- What kind of 911 call brought the police to the woman’s home?
- What happened between the initial call and the woman’s death 2 ½ hours later?
- How many officers fired their weapons?
- How many times was she shot?
- Where did the shooting happen in the home?
- What time was she shot?
Many of those questions have been answered by other police departments in fatal shootings by officers under investigation by the AG’s office, according to the review of recent cases.
In April 2021, the AG’s office was ordered to begin investigating someone dies during a police interaction. Previously, the office would only investigate cases where the person turned out to be unarmed or there was a question whether the person had a weapon or not.
The AG Office’s involvement in fatal police shootings or incidents started in 2015 with an executive order by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Before the order, local district attorneys were tasked with investigating fatal police shootings.
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