SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Employees in Armory Square are taking new safety measures at work this week after a shooting killed one man and injured four early Saturday morning.
Police say the shooting happened along the 300 block of South Clinton Street just outside Al’s Wine and Whiskey Lounge. Cassie Taddeo works at the Hall of Fame Barber Shop which is located around 300 feet from where the shooting took place. Taddeo said she has witnessed the neighborhood go downhill during her eight years working in Armory Square.
“It’s already going down,” Taddeo said. “All these businesses are closing, there’s not really much reason to come down here and now this is happening. It’s just a domino effect.”
Employees at Funk ‘n Waffles, a popular restaurant on the same block the shooting took place are now concerned about safety in one of the busiest areas in Syracuse.
“There is a higher level of concern now since the shooting among the co-workers here in the restaurant,” Kai Isachsen, an employee at Funk ‘n Waffles said.
Syracuse Police Department Chief Kenton Buckner said officers were positioned 30 to 40 feet away from the incident at the corner of Walton Street and South Clinton Street when the shots went off. However, the suspect remains at large. Employees at Hall of Fame Barber Shop are now taking their own precautions to stay safe at work.
“We don’t have anybody working in these front chairs right now because we don’t know if somebody’s just going to drive by and do something like that,” Taddeo said. “We all moved to the back and it’s definitely unsettling. I mean even just walking down the street to get lunch, we don’t want to even do that. We’ve all been bringing our lunch now.”
Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said he cannot make sense of the incident but vowed not to rest until everyone feels safe in the city.
“I guarantee you that the person who pulled the trigger last night will be caught,” Walsh said.
