Profiles

Smith was a young woman who was shot and killed by a former romantic partner who had a history of harrassing her. Her killer stalked her and shot her before shooting himself shortly after. Smith's mother wanted to share her daughter's story to highlight the dangers of domestic violence. 

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Syracuse woman killed by ex-boyfriend tried to leave him for several years, family says

Lessun, a social worker at Upstate University Hospital, was struck and killed by a vehicle while trying to cross the street outside of her office building. Lessun was a passionate advocate for her patients. A coworker of hers shared the many ways Lessun would go above and beyond for the people she treated. She was also a beloved wife and mother. Her husband sat down with me and tearfully detailed what made his wife so special to him and their children. 

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Upstate hospital social worker killed crossing street: Loving mom, ALS advocate, always fought for patients

Barlett and Niver, high school sweethearts, were just 10 days away from their first prom together when they got into a horrific car crash. Barlett died in the crash and Niver died just over a week later. The young couple were endlessly supportive of each other, loved ones said. Barlett loved reading and Niver loved wrestling. In the wake of their deaths, there was a huge outpouring of love from the community. This story generated hundreds of thousands of content veiws and was one of the most veiwed stories on the site in 2023. 

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School sweethearts 12 days from first prom when Central NY crash kills 1, badly hurts other

Apet and Mo were fatally shot by an Onondaga County Sheriff's Office deputy after he responded to a suspicious person's call in DeWitt, New York. The two teens were part of large families that hailed from the same town in South Sudan. Their families moved to Syracuse in search of a better life. The boys, who had been friends since they were born, had gotten in with the wrong crowd. Their families sat down to speak about the many ways their boys were just like any other kids.

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2 families grieve teens’ deaths from a deputy’s gun: ‘They did not deserve to die’

Pollard's profile came out of success instead of tragedy. Pollard, a former Navy engineer, was the first official Micron hire out of Central New York. Pollard's hiring was announced at an event hosted by President Joe Biden in Syracuse. Pollard was in Syracuse after returning to school at Syracuse University. While in the area he also volunteered  for a local "big brother program"and brought his mentees to meet the president. 

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Meet Savion Pollard: Micron’s first Central New York Hire

Shelley had run for the office of Onondaga County Sheriff multiple times before he was successful. This profile focused on his history of candidacy and what fueled  his persistence. 

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How Toby Shelley became a staple on the ballot for sheriff; ‘I got into this on a fluke...’

Gonzalez was the other candidate for sheriff in the 2022 election. Unlike Shelley, he had never run for office before. He also never worked as a police officer. Instead he spent his lengthy career as a custody deputy. He had served as the Chief Deputy of the Onondaga County Justice Center jail under the previous administration. His first passion, though, was music. 

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From music to managing jail: Esteban Gonzalez’s unusual path to running for sheriff

Canery was a member of a local club football team in Syracuse. He joined the program despite being the smallest player on the team. After he was shot and killed the team retired his number. There was an outpouring of love across social media that ended with over $14,000 raised by a GoFundMe. The money was used to support Canery's one-year-old daughter Avi'Elle. 

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Mom told her son she loved him; 30 minutes later he was fatally shot in Syracuse

Mayer drowned while on a trip to a Tompkins County waterfall. He died after jumping in to save his long-time girlfriend and the mother of his child. She had slipped into the water as he was taking a video of her. His brother shared details of the harrowing day and highlighted Mayer's heroic actions. 

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How man died trying to save drowning girlfriend who fell into Ithaca-area waterfall: ‘He died a hero’

Martinez was a tow truck driver in Syracuse who immigrated from Cuba in search of a better life. He built his business and was even planing on expanding. He was fatally hit while helping a stranded motorist on the Onondaga Lake Parkway. After his death, there was an outpouring of love from the tight knit community of CNY tow truck drivers. 

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Tow truck driver hit by SUV came from Cuba to start business and provide for his family