MARCY, ONEIDA CO. --
Police consider Brian Brown very dangerous, and since he’s still on the loose, some people in the community say they’ll be on edge until he is caught.
The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office says at the height of the search, hundreds of officers were on scene. "You could hear five shots ring out, that's what we heard,” said Frank Edic. "I talked to my daughter. I told her not to come home. She said the chopper was over here, troopers were here. We're not concerned, not really, you're just a little more observant."
Thursday, a state police helicopter circled over a normally quiet Marcy neighborhood, which turned into the scene of a massive manhunt. Police set up the command post on Edic road, near the entrance to the SUNY Institute of Technology campus. Authorities believe Brian J. Brown, 31 ran into a wooded area near the school after robbing a Rome bank, leading police on a chase, and shooting Deputy Michael Burger in the ankle.
People in the community say they are keeping an eye out, until police find Brown. "It was scary, the kids were home, so it was no pool today, stay in, doors closed and locked. Don't let anybody in,” said Donna Manzer.
"It's crazy, it's really crazy that something like this happened in my hometown,” said Tasha Hammon.
Thursday evening, police searched a home right across from the SUNY campus, after the homeowner found an unlocked door when she returned home. But like the handful of other leads police followed-up on, nothing was found.
Police scaled back the on-campus search as the sun went down on Thursday, saying the manhunt gets even more dangerous when it’s dark out. The campus remained in lockdown and will stay closed Friday as well. Police say the suspect could have escaped campus in the 20 minutes before the secure perimeter was put in place. he manhunt has been broadened to other areas of the county and state. But officials are still not ruling out the idea that he could still be hiding in the woods.
"He's already shot someone, he's already shot a police officer so he already knows he has some serious charges, and he probably has a propensity for doing it again,” said Captain Richard Antanavige.
If you have any information about Brian Brown’s whereabouts police want you to call 9-1-1.
