Syracuse jury convicts man in 2024 North Side child shooting

A Syracuse jury found Nakise Elliott guilty of trying to kill three boys on a North Side street, a verdict that puts the focus squarely on how close the neighborhood came to a much worse tragedy.

Jurors convicted the 19-year-old of five counts of attempted murder, two counts of second-degree assault and one count of criminal possession of a weapon after hearing evidence about the June 23, 2025, shooting at Knaul Street and Hier Avenue. Police said the gunfire erupted about 8:40 p.m. and wounded boys ages 8, 9 and 12, with injuries that included a gunshot wound to the arm, a gunshot wound to the buttocks and a graze wound to the foot.

District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said a group of juveniles on electric scooters was involved in the drive-by shooting. Later trial reporting said Elliott was accused of riding up on a Veo electric bike before the shots were fired, a detail that underscored how quickly a neighborhood gathering place became a scene of terror for children and families.

The case moved through the courts over more than a year, with Syracuse police charging Elliott on June 27, 2025. A judge later set bail at $1 million and orders of protection were filed. During the 2026 trial, a judge found prosecutors had violated Elliott’s rights but refused to throw out the case, leaving jurors to decide whether the state had proved attempted murder beyond a reasonable doubt.

The defense did not deny that crimes had been committed, but argued Elliott should be held accountable for offenses short of attempted murder. Jurors rejected that argument and accepted the prosecution’s version of events, closing one chapter of a case that has carried unusual weight in Syracuse because the victims were children and the setting was a residential North Side block.

Brandon Espe, a neighbor, gave first aid to the injured boys until emergency responders arrived, a reminder that residents on Knaul Street were forced into crisis response before the system fully took over. The children were taken to Upstate University Hospital for treatment, while the verdict now sends the case into sentencing, where the court will determine how long Elliott serves and how seriously it weighs the violence of firing into a group of kids in public space.