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SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Two men and a 17-year-old girl were charged with fatally shooting two Cuban-born teenage brothers in what police believe was an attempted robbery set up by the girl, authorities said Thursday.
The two men and the girl were arrested Wednesday and were charged with murder and attempted robbery, Syracuse police Chief Frank Fowler said. They're accused of gunning down 17-year-old Daniel Diaz-Marrero and 19-year-old Ismael Diaz-Marrero on Tuesday evening on the city's west side.
The shootings occurred during a robbery attempt set up when the 17-year-old girl, Sheahonni Davis, contacted the brothers and asked them to meet her. Police said 19-year-old Toriano Newson and 23-year-old Curtis L. Paige III approached the brothers when they arrived and tried to rob them. Newson opened fire, hitting both siblings, Fowler said.
Ismael Diaz-Marrero died at the scene, police said. His brother died soon after at a hospital.
Police said the brothers had a slight acquaintance with Davis. They were still trying to determine why the brothers agreed to meet her.
The Post-Standard newspaper reported the brothers, their father and their younger sister arrived in the United States from Cuba after their mother died about five years ago.
The older brother was a sophomore at Le Moyne College, in suburban DeWitt. The younger brother was a senior at a Syracuse high school.
Scores of people, including some of the brothers' teachers and professors, gathered Wednesday for a memorial service in an auditorium at Le Moyne, a private Jesuit college. Friends described the siblings as hardworking and well-liked.
Le Moyne Dean Jim Joseph told the newspaper that Ismael Diaz-Marrero was working two jobs, including one at the college, to put himself through school.
"I walk by him, and that big smile, forever upbeat, that's how I want him to be remembered," Joseph said.
The three suspects were in police custody and couldn't be reached for comment. It couldn't be determined if they had attorneys who could comment on the charges for them.
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This story has been corrected to show the victim's surname is Diaz-Marrero, not Diaz-Morrero.
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