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Syracuse police have released the name of the 26-year-old man who was killed in a shooting on Park Avenue on Thursday night (March 5). The victim, who was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside a home at 629 Park Ave., was pronounced dead at Upstate University Hospital. The identity of the victim has been withheld pending family notification.
The suspect, George F. Townsend, 62, has been arrested in connection with the shooting. Townsend, who resides at the address where the shooting occurred, faces charges of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm. However, he has not been charged with homicide. According to Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, Townsend has a "viable self-defense claim" that will be evaluated by a grand jury.
The shooting marks the third homicide in Syracuse this year and the second on Park Avenue. Earlier, on February 8, a 33-year-old man was shot outside Playmakers Sports Bar, located less than three blocks from the recent incident.
The police are urging anyone with information about the shooting to contact the Syracuse Police Department at 315-442-5222. The investigation is ongoing, and Townsend is yet to be arraigned on the gun charges.