A Father Was Shot Dead on Warner Avenue Tuesday. His 15-Year-Old Son Was Killed the Same Way Two Years Ago.

Deron L. McGee, 39, of Syracuse, was shot and killed near the intersection of Warner and Webster Avenues on the city’s south side around 3 PM on Tuesday, April 8. A 10-year-old boy was also struck, sustaining a graze wound to the leg. The child’s injuries were non-life-threatening.

No arrests have been made. The Syracuse Police Department and the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office are jointly investigating. SPD spokesperson Kieran Coffey confirmed McGee’s identity on Wednesday.

McGee is Syracuse’s third homicide victim this year.

The Family’s History With Gun Violence

Less than two years before his own death, McGee’s 15-year-old son, Deron McGee Jr., was fatally shot on August 12, 2024, on the 200 block of Westmoreland Avenue near the Parkside Commons Apartment Complex.

The younger McGee, an 11th grader known as Deej, was riding in the back seat of a stolen Hyundai Sonata with three 16-year-old friends when the other teens fired handguns at pedestrians outside the apartment complex. McGee Jr. was struck in the back of the head by gunfire from within the vehicle. He was declared brain dead on August 15 and his organs were donated on August 21, saving four lives.

Three teenagers — Quinntone Moore, Uzziah Murray, and Torrin Brown, all 16 at the time — were charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. All three are being tried as adults. Onondaga County DA Robert Moran confirmed that McGee Jr. was unarmed and was friends with the shooters.

A Violent Tuesday Across the City

The Warner Avenue shooting was one of three violent incidents in Syracuse on April 8.

At approximately 7:43 PM, a 29-year-old man was stabbed on the 100 block of Croly Street. He was found at the 3100 block of Grant Boulevard, roughly two miles from the stabbing location, with a cut to the thumb. His injuries were non-life-threatening.

At approximately 9:09 PM, another 29-year-old man arrived at Upstate University Hospital with gunshot wounds to the hip and leg. His injuries were also non-life-threatening. The location of that shooting was not disclosed by police.

The following evening, April 9, a third shooting victim — also a 29-year-old man — arrived at Upstate by private vehicle with gunshot wounds. No connection between the incidents has been established.

Syracuse’s 2026 Homicide Count

McGee is the third person killed by gunfire in Syracuse this year. Jonathan Pitts, 33, was fatally shot on the 900 block of Park Avenue on February 8. Jesus Delgado, 25, was killed on the 100 block of Lawrence Street on March 3. Both were detected via ShotSpotter activations. All three cases remain unsolved.

The south side, where McGee was killed, has seen a 23 percent decrease in overall violent crime over the past year, according to police data. But homicides have increased 33 percent over the past five years citywide.

At least one south side community leader has publicly called for change in response to the Warner Avenue shooting.

Tip Line

Anyone with information about the Warner Avenue shooting is asked to contact the Syracuse Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at (315) 442-5222. Tips can be submitted anonymously.