This is a developing story and will be updated.
Update, 10:30 p.m. Nov. 9
In an updated press release, Tompkins County Sheriff Derek R. Osborne, John Joly, chief of the Ithaca Police Department, Jerry Wright, chief of the Cayuga Heights Police Department, and Anthony Bellamy, deputy chief of the Cornell University Police Department, said the search for the third suspect has concluded.
Earlier in the day, two of the three suspects were apprehended by police after the vehicle they were in left the road in the Village of Cayuga Heights. The search for the third suspect was conducted by the Ithaca-Tompkins Specialized Response Team as well as K9 units and air support from the New York State Police.
As of 8:50 p.m., law enforcement officials believe that the third suspect is no longer in the Cayuga Heights area. According to the release, the original report of gunfire at 1:23 p.m. is believed to be between two groups of people, and law enforcement does not believe the third suspect poses an immediate threat to the community. His whereabouts and identity are still being investigated.
Law enforcement officers found a handgun in the area the third suspect had fled from as well as shell casings from the scene of the shots fired incident in the 600 block of Hancock St.
The first suspect has been identified as 22-year-old Trimard Chris Campbell from Utica, New York, and the second suspect has been identified as 22-year-old Ramello Quayshawn Jackson from Ithaca, New York. Charges are being drafted for both suspects.
Residents are encouraged to provide any information they may have to law enforcement agencies. Potential witnesses of the third suspect should contact either the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office or the Cayuga Heights Police Department. Witnesses to the shots fired incident on Hancock St. should contact the Ithaca Police Department.
Update, 7:50 p.m. Nov. 9
The shelter-in-place orders for Cayuga Heights and Cornell University’s North Campus have been lifted. The third suspect who local police were searching for has not been found as of now. The Cornell University Police Department will continue to have a heightened presence on campus, according to a CornellALERT sent at 7:13 p.m.
Update, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 9
Tompkins County issued an alert at 5:20 p.m. asking all residents within a one-mile radius of 23 Renwick Heights Road in Cayuga Heights to shelter in place because of police activity.
Cornell University has canceled all events on North Campus for the rest of the day. Events like prelims will be rescheduled.
The TCAT has resumed operation of Cornell Campus Routes 81 and 82 and Routes 30, 32, and 31–41. However, parts of Triphammer Road and Cayuga Heights are still not being served.
In a media release at 4:04 p.m. Nov. 9 from Tompkins County Sheriff Derek R. Osborne, Jerry Wright, Cayuga Heights Police Chief, and John Joly, Ithaca Police Department Chief, said multiple police departments are working together on the incident that led to multiple shelter-in-place orders throughout the afternoon.
The release stated that at 1:23 p.m. Nov. 9 the Ithaca Police Department was dispatched to the 600 block of Hancock St. to respond to reports of gunfire between two groups of people. A vehicle that one of the groups left the scene in was spotted traveling north on New York State Route 13 near the Cayuga Heights exit. A Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office vehicle spotted the suspect’s vehicle and the pursuit ended when the vehicle left the road and ended up in the front yard of a residential home near The Parkway and Klinewoods Road in the Village of Cayuga Heights.
After the vehicle stopped, one suspect was apprehended and two others fled on foot, the release stated. The Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office, Ithaca Police Department, Cayuga Heights Police Department, Cornell University Police and the New York State Police all responded. After a perimeter was set, members of the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office apprehended another suspect without incident.
As of now, the third suspect has not been apprehended and is believed to still be in the Village of Cayuga Heights near Upland and Cayuga Park Road.
The release stated that the third suspect is a 6–6’1” tall Black male with dreadlocks extending past the shoulders, medium build and wearing a faded multi-colored shirt. He was seen fleeing the scene with a handgun in his waistband and should be considered armed and dangerous.
Residents should call 911 immediately if they spot or have seen the suspect.
Update, 3:45 p.m. Nov. 9
Ithaca College released an alert saying that it is aware that police are searching for a man with a gun in the Cayuga Heights area near Cornell university. The college will alert the campus if there is any indication of a known threat to the Ithaca College campus community, according to the alert.
The shelter-in-place orders at Ithaca High School, Boynton Middle School and Cayuga Heights Elementary School have been lifted and students can now be picked up. All after school activities have been canceled.
Original story, 3:27 p.m. Nov. 9
At 2:09 p.m. Nov. 9, Cornell University issued a shelter-in-place order for its North Campus because local police were pursuing a man with a gun in Cayuga Heights.
Ithaca High School, Boynton Middle School and Cayuga Heights Elementary School have also entered into shelter-in-place orders because of the police pursuit. The shelter-in-place order at Cornell comes two days after students were told to avoid central campus and evacuated from multiple buildings because of a bomb threat around 2 p.m. Nov. 7. Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the event and the campus was cleared after 7 p.m. Nov. 7. Cornell’s North Campus is about three miles from Ithaca College and is mainly a residential area for students.
The Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) announced that it will not be serving stops along Triphammer Road between Jessup Road and Spruce Lane. The Mann Library at Cornell was also put on lockdown and some classes have been canceled until further notice.
Some Ithaca High School students received anonymous phone calls the night of Nov. 8 from someone threatening to “shoot up” the school. Police determined that the threat was not credible.
