Police canvass the scene on County Route 23 Tuesday afternoon
/ photo: Brian Erb
CONSTANTIA -- Two men are at-large and considered armed after a break-in at a Constantia apartment complex.
Just after noon, two men with guns busted into 361 County Route 23 apartment "A" at the Waterwheel Apartments, according to Oswego County Sheriffs Deputies. Three people were inside the apartment at the time, and a fight ensued. Investigators are not discussing the motive for the attack, but say the attack was not random and the apartment was targeted.
"I woke up to some guy busting through my door with a shotgun in my room. He pointed it at me, he didn't say anything, he just started hitting me with it and then he turned and left when I got up he was already gone," said Russell Legrow who lives in the apartment that was broken into. "I was so shocked. I couldn't think."
Police say the two suspects were dressed in camouflage with vests, possibly bullet-proof ones, and bandanas on their faces.
During the confrontation, the father of one of the apartment occupants returned home and became involved. That's when the two suspects fled the scene on foot and traveled north on County Route 23, according to investigators. Deputies say one of the victims then tried chasing the suspects in his car. One of the suspects allegedly shot in the direction of the victim. The driver crashed his vehicle into a tree, and was taken to University Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The driver was not hit with a bullet. Police say the suspects then ran into the woods.
The search was called off for the night around 6 PM. Earlier in the day, multiple police agencies were searching the area and the state police helicopter was called in to help look from above.
The sheriff's department used reverse 911 to warn people about the situation. "Because this is a rural area. We used to the reverse 911 just to alert residents to lock their doors and windows," said Oswego Co. Undersheriff Gene Sullivan.
Anyone with information is asked to call 911.
