Syracuse police respond to two stabbings, one fatal shooting Thursday night

Three violent calls in less than an hour sent Syracuse police from the 400 block of West Beard Avenue to East Brighton Avenue and then Wolf Street, leaving one man dead and two others wounded across separate Syracuse blocks.

The first call came at about 8:33 p.m. to the 400 block of West Beard Avenue, where officers found a man in his 50s with stab wounds to his hand and chest. He was taken to Upstate Community Hospital, and police said his injuries were not life-threatening. Just four minutes later, around 8:37 p.m., officers were sent to the 800 block of East Brighton Avenue for another reported stabbing. There, police found a 68-year-old man with a laceration to his left side. He was taken to Upstate University Hospital and also was listed with non-life-threatening injuries.

About an hour later, at 9:33 p.m., officers responded to the 500 block of Wolf Street after a ShotSpotter activation. Police found a 24-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound to the neck. He was rushed to Upstate University Hospital, where he later died despite lifesaving efforts. Syracuse police later identified him as Tazelic Pringle. No arrests were announced in connection with the homicide or either stabbing, and investigators had not released suspect descriptions.

The night’s calls stretched emergency crews across the city in quick succession and left detectives trying to determine whether the incidents were connected or simply part of a violent evening that unfolded in different neighborhoods. Syracuse Police Criminal Investigations can be reached at 315-442-5222, and the department also lists a homicide tip line at 315-442-5223 for people with information.

The violence landed against a broader backdrop that city officials have described as an overall decline in crime. Mayor Ben Walsh and Chief Joe Cecile said in August 2025 that overall crime was down 27.3% through the first seven months of 2025, with violent crime down 18%. City data also showed 22 confirmed homicides in 2024, down from 24 in 2023. Even so, Thursday’s shootings and stabbings showed how quickly one night can still place pressure on hospitals, investigators and the blocks where the calls land.

Syracuse’s response system has leaned on both technology and outreach. ShotSpotter went live on the North Side in March 2022, and the city’s Community Violence Intervention pilot, launched in 2023, was built to reach 50 people identified as drivers of gun violence. Syracuse Police also reviews recent Part I crime every week through COMPSTAT, with serious incidents handled through the Investigations Bureau overseen by Deputy Chief David Metz. On Thursday night, those systems were tested by three separate violent scenes spread across the city.