In the quiet cold of a Syracuse evening on January 7, 2023, the life of 27-year-old Tyus Ogletree was violently cut short, marking the city's first homicide of the new year. That night, at approximately 11:43 p.m., what began as a loud knock at the door of a residence on Sunset Avenue quickly escalated into a fatal home invasion. Two individuals allegedly forced their way into the home where Ogletree was staying with his girlfriend and her three young children.
A confrontation erupted,
and in the chaos, Ogletree was shot in the chest in the kitchen area of the home. When Syracuse Police responded to the scene, they found Ogletree inside the residence and another man, 24-year-old Vladimir Fernandez, in the street with a gunshot wound to his leg. Both men were transported to Upstate University Hospital, but Ogletree succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the homicide took a surprising turn when detectives from the Criminal Investigations Division identified Fernandez, initially considered a victim, as one of the suspects in Ogletree's murder. Following his release from the hospital on January 9, 2023, Fernandez was arrested. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder, first-degree burglary, and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Further investigation led to a second arrest on January 12, 2023. A 17-year-old male, Junari Harold, was also taken into custody in connection with the fatal shooting. Harold faced the same serious charges as Fernandez: second-degree murder, first-degree burglary, and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Despite his age, Harold was to be prosecuted as an adult. He was arraigned and held at the Hillbrook Juvenile Detention Center.
