Police say one person died following an early morning shooting incident in the city of Plattsburgh.
Police say they received reports of a shooting at about 2:20 Tuesday morning on Cornelia Street between Montcalm and Champlain Streets.
One victim with a gunshot wound was taken to the UVM Medical Center Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
At a late afternoon press conference Tuesday, Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie said 31-year-old Markus Dixon of Plattsburgh had been struck multiple times in the chest. Three rounds were recovered at the scene.
“The suspect was identified as Chazz Johnson, 24-years-old. Erica Cologne was another individual involved in the incident,” reported Wylie. “During the investigation it was identified that Chazz Johnson is the boyfriend of Erica Cologne. Erica Cologne had an incident downtown earlier in the evening involving Marcus Dixon. Then Erica called Mr. Johnson. He arrived, picked her up. They located Marcus Dixon and Marcus Dixon was then shot and killed.”
Wylie provided more details on the incident downtown that led to the shooting.
“Outside of Pizza Bono an altercation took place and Ms. Cologne was involved,” noted Wylie. “Actually she got struck. At least the witnesses are indicating that she was struck by Marcus Dixon. Marcus Dixon then left the area, was walking back to his residence at 137 Cornelia Street where Miss Cologne and Mr. Johnson showed up and the shots were fired and Mr. Dixon succumbed to his injuries.”
Mayor Chris Rosenquest praised the city police and members of the Tri-County SRT, or Special Response Team, for their quick action to investigate and arrest the suspects.
“It is with great pride as the mayor and as a resident of our community that I know that we have people coming together to protect us, to keep our community safe and to respond so quickly,” Rosenquest said. “Between the time the call came in versus the time the suspects were arrested it’s pretty remarkable.”
The shooting occurred just blocks from the SUNY Plattsburgh campus and the local medical center. The hospital was placed on lockdown from about 3:30 a.m. until 9 a.m. according to spokesperson Brian Happel.
“Basically it happened after we consulted with law enforcement in the area. We were made aware that a shooting had taken place nearby. The hospital was never under immediate threat but just as a safety precaution,” emphasized Happel. “Making sure we’re maintaining the safety of our patients and employees while police continued to search for any suspects involved we just wanted to make sure we took every measure we could, like I said, to keep everyone safe.”
An autopsy on Dixon is scheduled Wednesday at Glens Falls Hospital.
Johnson and Cologne were being held at the Plattsburgh City Police Department pending their arraignments on 2nd Degree Murder.
