In the autumn of 2015, the life of 25-year-old Tony TJ Guyton Jr. was tragically cut short in a burst of violence on a Syracuse street. On the evening of Tuesday, November 10, 2015, police responded to reports of a shooting at the Valley Plaza apartment complex on Dale Street. Upon arrival, they found Guyton with a gunshot wound to his torso. He was rushed to Upstate University Hospital, but the efforts to save him were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into
Guyton's death revealed a scene of conflict. Witnesses reported seeing a physical altercation between Guyton and another man in the moments leading up to the shooting. This dispute escalated with tragic finality when a handgun was introduced, and a single shot was fired. The incident, which occurred around 5 p.m., left the community shaken and searching for answers. The Syracuse Police Department quickly launched a homicide investigation, working to piece together the events of that fatal evening.
In the days following the shooting, the Syracuse Police Department identified 26-year-old Tshaun T. Ross as the suspect in the killing of Tony Guyton Jr. A warrant was issued for Ross's arrest on charges of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. The investigation led authorities to a residence on the city's Northside, where Ross was located and taken into custody without incident by the Syracuse Police SWAT team.
The case against Tshaun T. Ross proceeded through the legal system. In May 2017, Ross was convicted by a jury of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The evidence presented during the trial painted a picture of a confrontation that turned deadly. For his role in the death of Tony Guyton Jr., Tshaun T. Ross was sentenced to 22 years to life in state prison.
