Syracuse unveils memorial honoring slain Officer Jensen and Lt. Hoosock

A bronze figure of a kneeling law enforcement officer now faces the walkways of James Pass Arboretum, turning a familiar corner of Tipperary Hill into a permanent place of mourning and memory for Syracuse and Onondaga County.

The memorial was unveiled on April 14, 2026, two years after Syracuse police Officer Michael Jensen and Onondaga County Sheriff’s Lt. Michael Hoosock were killed during a chaotic response in Salina. Set on a granite base, the monument places a tribute to Hoosock on the left side and Jensen on the right, with departmental patches and a single badge representing both agencies. Residents, family members, officers and elected officials gathered outside the arboretum gates near Salisbury Road and Avery Avenue, with access from Bryant Avenue and from Myrtle and Tompkins Street.

Tipperary Hill Association president Janice McKenna said planning began on May 1, 2024, after neighbors decided they wanted to do something meaningful for the families, the Syracuse Police Department, the sheriff’s office and the neighborhood. The project was funded in part through the sale of personalized pavers surrounding the memorial, including a special paver for the Hoosock family. Organizers said the nearly two-year effort reflected how deeply the killings affected the block-by-block life of the neighborhood as well as the broader public safety community.

The April 14, 2024 encounter began as a traffic-stop response tied to Christopher Murphy’s vehicle at 4945 Darien Drive in Salina. Investigators with the New York State Attorney General’s Office said officers saw high-capacity ammunition clips in Murphy’s car and heard what sounded like a firearm being racked inside the home before Murphy exited with a semiautomatic rifle. Hoosock was struck in the head while positioned in a neighboring backyard, and Jensen was struck in the chest after moving to the street. The attorney general’s office later concluded, in December 2024, that the officers who used deadly force were legally justified under New York law.

The memorial carries added weight because of the men it honors. Jensen lived on Tipperary Hill and patrolled the neighborhood, making the site especially personal for the block he knew as part of daily life. Hoosock’s public service stretched beyond the sheriff’s office; he also served as a volunteer firefighter and paramedic, including as battalion chief for the Moyers Corners Fire Department and a medic with the Manlius Fire Department. A separate street sign tribute for Jensen has already been added, extending the community’s remembrance beyond the arboretum. On Tipperary Hill, the loss no longer sits only in annual ceremonies. It now stands in bronze, on a path people cross every day.