Man who killed 2 police officers in Salina was doing cocaine with a friend, DA says

Syracuse, N.Y. — A man who shot and killed two police officers outside his home Sunday night had been doing cocaine that day with a friend, according to Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick.

The friend, Shawn Kinsella, 33, told investigators that he and Christopher R. Murphy, 33, “had spent some time doing lines of cocaine,” Fitzpatrick said.

The two men are long-time friends, he said.

Any remaining cocaine inside Murphy’s home at 4945 Darien Drive will be collected by officers and analyzed, Fitzpatrick said. Officers will check to see if it was laced with anything, he said.

Murphy used a Springfield AR-15 gun to shoot Syracuse police officer Michael E. Jensen and sheriff Lt. Michael Hoosock, officials said. Both officers died from their injuries. Murphy also died from gunshot injuries from officers.

Fitzpatrick and Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley said it was not clear whether Murphy could legally possess the gun.

The trouble started Sunday with a traffic stop at 7 p.m. in the city’s Tipp Hill neighborhood, according to Syracuse Police Chief Joseph Cecile. That’s when Syracuse police tried to pull over a car, but the driver refused and sped off.

The driver went at speeds over 100 mph while fleeing, Cecile said.

Police took the plate number, which led them to the home on Darien Drive. There, police saw guns in the back of the car, Cecile said. And then, from inside the home, they heard the sound of a gun being readied to fire, he said.

It wasn’t long after that gunfire filled the little neighborhood as the officers and the suspect exchanged shots. Authorities did not know Monday how many total shots were fired, Shelley said.

On a recording from a nearby home the gunshots lasted about nine seconds, with shots firing off so fast, it is impossible to count how many were fired.

After the shooting, Kinsella was caught trying to jump over a fence, Shelley said. Kinsella has not been charged with any crime at this point, he said.

Kinsella lived on Trivet Drive South, one street over from Murphy, according to voter registration records.

Investigators have already spoken with Kinsella, said Fitzpatrick, who described him as being “coked up” at that time. Fitzpatrick said he hopes Kinsella will remain cooperative with law enforcement.

The DA said no charges are contemplated against Kinsella at this time unless new evidence emerges.

It’s unclear why Murphy decided to ambush the officers, Shelley said.

Cecile said there was something in Murphy’s past which “may be some indicator” as to why Murphy shot two officers. He declined to provide specifics.

The shooter’s only prior interaction with police was a 2014 drunken driving arrest, which also included a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest, authorities said.

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Staff writer Jon Moss covers breaking news, crime and public safety. He can be reached at jmoss@syracuse.com or @mossjon7.