In the fall of 2021, a burst of gunfire on a Syracuse street shattered the evening quiet and left two young men dead. Winston Brown Jr., a 22-year-old man, was one of the individuals who lost his life on that Thursday, October 7th. The incident unfolded on Croton Terrace, where Syracuse police officers were dispatched following reports of a shooting.
Upon their arrival, they discovered a chaotic scene with two men suffering from gunshot wounds.
Emergency responders rushed both Brown and the other victim, 24-year-old Keisean Canery, to Upstate University Hospital. Despite the efforts of medical staff, neither man could be saved from their critical injuries. An investigation into the double homicide was quickly launched by the Syracuse Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division.
As detectives pieced together the events of that night, they determined that the violence had erupted from an altercation. The investigation led to the identification of two individuals believed to be responsible for the deaths. Dewayne Brown, 25, and Natori Russo, 22, were subsequently arrested in connection with the fatal shootings. Both men were charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon for their alleged roles in the deaths of Winston Brown Jr. and Keisean Canery. Following their apprehension, they were held at the Onondaga County Justice Center as they awaited further legal proceedings.
