Police said 68-year-old Dwayne Frazier died after he was shot on Palmer Avenue.
SYRACUSE, NY — Two teenagers have been charged with murder after a 68-year-old Syracuse man was shot on Palmer Avenue earlier this month and later died at a hospital, police said.
Syracuse police identified the victim as Dwayne Frazier, 68, and said the arrests followed a homicide investigation that stretched nearly two weeks. The case moved from a shots-fired call on April 15 to murder charges on April 27, when officers located the two suspects at the James Geddes Housing complex.
Police said officers were called to the 300 block of Palmer Avenue around 6 p.m. April 15 after reports of gunfire. When officers arrived, they found Frazier with an apparent gunshot wound. Earlier reports from police said he had been shot in the head. He was taken to Upstate University Hospital in critical condition. “Despite lifesaving efforts by hospital staff,” police said, Frazier died from his injuries. A section of Palmer Avenue was closed while officers worked the scene, where several evidence markers were placed near shell casings.
Detectives with the Syracuse Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Unit opened what police described as an extensive investigation. Police said that work included numerous interviews, a neighborhood and citywide canvass, multiple search warrants and the recovery and analysis of evidence. Investigators later identified the suspects as Ayden Daily, 18, and a 16-year-old male. Police did not release the younger suspect’s name because of his age. Officials have not publicly described a motive, and police have not said whether Frazier knew either suspect.
The arrests came April 27, when officers saw both suspects at the James Geddes Housing complex, police said. The 16-year-old was taken into custody without incident. Daily ran from officers, police said, and was arrested after a brief foot chase. Police said Daily had a loaded handgun when he was arrested. Investigators have not publicly said whether that gun was the weapon used in the Palmer Avenue shooting. The 16-year-old was taken to Hillbrook Juvenile Detention Center, while Daily was taken to the Onondaga County Justice Center pending arraignment.
Daily and the 16-year-old were each charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Daily also faces an additional count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, police said. The charges mark the first announced arrests in Frazier’s death. Police initially said no suspects had been publicly identified after the shooting, and no arrests were announced when Frazier was first named as the victim.
Frazier’s death added another homicide investigation to Syracuse’s police workload this spring. The shooting happened in a residential area of the city’s Southwest side, where officers blocked traffic as investigators collected evidence. An obituary said Frazier died unexpectedly April 15 and listed several surviving children, grandchildren, siblings and other relatives. Police have not released a fuller account of Frazier’s movements before the shooting or what led up to the gunfire.
The investigation remains active, police said. Detectives are continuing to review evidence and seek information connected to the shooting. The next steps in the case are expected to move through Onondaga County court proceedings, including arraignment and future hearings for Daily. The 16-year-old’s case will proceed through the juvenile or youth offender process under New York law, depending on court decisions and the handling of the charges.
Police have said little about what witnesses reported in the moments before and after the shooting. The public record so far centers on the Palmer Avenue scene, the hospital treatment, the search for suspects and the arrests at James Geddes Housing. Officials have not said how many shots were fired, how many people were in the area at the time or whether additional arrests are possible. The case remains open as detectives continue to collect statements and evidence.
As of Thursday, April 30, both teens were in custody after being charged in Frazier’s death. Police said the homicide investigation is ongoing, and court dates had not been publicly detailed in the available reports.
Author note: Last updated Thursday, April 30, 2026.