Lieutenant Michael Hoosock, Michael Jensen: Syracuse Officer and Deputy Identified as Victims in Salina Shootout

A Syracuse police officer and an Onondaga County sheriff’s lieutenant were named as the casualties of a deadly shootout in Salina on Sunday night.

Officer Michael E. Jensen and Lieutenant Michael Hoosock were killed in a barrage of gunfire, authorities confirmed at a press conference on Monday.

The tragic incident unfolded around 8:51 pm on Darien Drive. Both officers, along with the suspect, were fatally wounded during the exchange of gunfire.

Sheriff Toby Shelley revealed that Lt. Hoosock, who responded to assist the investigation on his own, was shot in the backyard of a nearby house. Officer Jensen fell victim to gunfire when the suspect moved from the backyard to confront Syracuse police stationed in the front yard.

The gunman, identified as 33-year-old Christopher R. Murphy from Salina, also died in the shootout.

Hoosock had been with the sheriff’s office for 16 years, starting in September 2007. Hoosock was promoted to deputy sheriff sergeant in 2015 and was later transferred in 2021 to the criminal investigations division as a detective sergeant. A year later he became the bomb squad commander for the sheriff’s office.

Hoosock also had experience as a firefighter and paramedic. He volunteered with the Lyncourt Fire Department from 2002 to 2007 and the Moyers Corners Fire Department since 2007.

Hoosock was married with three young children, friends said.

Jensen graduated from the Syracuse Regional Police Academy in August 2022. Jensen had two years on the force and was described as ambitious and hard-working, according to Cecile.

The trouble started with a traffic stop at 7 p.m. in the city’s Tipp Hill neighborhood, Cecile said. 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 a 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.