On May 30th, 2022, at around 4:40 P.M., Officers responded to a Huntington School, located at 400 Sunnycrest Road, for a suspicious person with a weapon investigation. Upon arrival, Officers initiated an investigation into a social media video that showed a male in the parking lot of Huntington School after hours, who appeared to be armed with a semi-automatic rifle and was conversing with a group of individuals.
The investigation revealed that the video was recorded on May 29th, 2022, at around 12:30 A.M. The footage shows a male who appears to be armed with a semi-automatic rifle and is conversing with a group of individuals in the parking lot of Huntington School. The school was not open during the recording of this incident. The male armed with the gun does not appear to point the gun at anyone during the video. No one during the original incident called the police.
This investigation was led by Detectives in the Criminal Investigations Division and a suspect was quickly identified as Joshua Williams, 29, of Syracuse. On June 2nd, 2022, Williams was arrested and booked for Criminal Possession of a Weapon on School Grounds.
A search warrant was executed on the suspect’s residence, and a New York State “Safe Act” compliant rifle was recovered. Preliminary information suggests that the suspect went to the school to address quality of life issues taking place at the school property after hours, to include people congregating, loud music, and fireworks.
The Syracuse Police Department and the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office are currently seeking an extreme risk protection order that, if authorized by a judge, would prevent the future possession or purchase of firearms by the suspect. The Syracuse Police reminds the public that it is illegal to carry weapons on school grounds.
