Man Fatally Shot in Downtown Binghamton

Binghamton police are investigating a downtown shooting that left one man dead.

The incident happened on Fayette Street around 8:30 p.m. Friday. Initial reports from the scene indicated a man had been shot in the head and in the heart.

Police officers sealed off the area as detectives began their investigation into the shooting. The attack occurred on Fayette Street, just east of Columbus Park.

Investigators were said to be seeking three men who may have been involved in the shooting incident. They were last seen heading west into the park.

Fayette Street between Hawley and Susquehanna streets was closed to traffic as investigators interviewed potential witnesses.

At one point shortly after the shooting, about 20 people gathered nearby. Some were crying and sobbing as they tried to find out what had happened.

The shooting occurred less than four blocks away from NYSEG Stadium, where baseball fans were watching a Binghamton Rumble Ponies game. As investigators processed the crime scene, post-game fireworks could be heard from the stadium.

Detective Captain Jack Collins declined to comment on the killing early Saturday morning. He returned to the shooting scene moments after a coroner's van drove away from Fayette Street accompanied by a patrol car at midnight.

Investigators continued to search Columbus Park in the early-morning hours for evidence connected to the attack.

The shooting happened less than a week after an execution-style killing on Binghamton's West Side.

Police had been seeking a suspect in connection with the death of 22-year-old Brandon Hernandez. The Binghamton man was shot several times in the head around 4:55 a.m. April 29 in the parking lot of an Orton Avenue after-hours club. Collins on Saturday afternoon announced that an East Side man had been charged with murder in that case. 26-year-old Jihad Ray of Chamberlain Street was taken into custody Friday afternoon

The Orton Avenue attack occurred about two hours after an Endicott man was shot near Charley's Lounge on Harry L. Drive in Johnson City. He was hospitalized with wounds to the abdomen and leg.

Investigators have not said whether they believe the shootings are related.

This story has been updated with additional information provided by Binghamton police.

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