The man charged with attempted murder in the early-morning shooting of two people at the Syracuse Regional Transportation Center was assaulted in 2014 by former New England Patriots football player Aaron Hernandez while the two were in jail.

Hernandez, who was convicted of murder, died of an apparent suicide in April 2017.

The assault occurred at the Bristol County House of Correction in Dartmouth in February 2014. Hernandez was indicted on charges of assault and battery in connection with the incident, according to media reports.

Booker would not testify in the case, as his lawyer said he didn’t want to be a rat, according to a report in The Herald News.

A man with the same name and age was charged Sunday morning in the Syracuse shooting.

Sgt. Jon A. Seeber, speaking for the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed the mug shot of suspect Andrew Booker, 31, of 6 Bartlett Lane, East Wareham, MA is the same person pictured in media reports of the Hernandez jail incident.

The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office does not release mug shots.

Booker, 31, is scheduled to be arraigned later today in connection with the shooting. Booker is charged with two counts of attempted murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, Fitzpatrick said Sunday morning. Booker had an illegal handgun, Fitzpatrick said.

Booker pointed his gun, aimed and fired at a person who fled, but the gun misfired, Fitzpatrick said. Booker then rechecked his gun, chambered a round and fired, possibly at the fleeing person, the DA said. Instead, the shot hit a passenger in the leg, who has since been treated and released from the hospital, he said.

Booker then fired another round, striking a security guard in the midsection, Fitzpatrick said. The guard was transported to a Syracuse hospital, and is expected to survive. The guard has not been identified.

Booker was still armed when police arrived, Fitzpatrick said. He surrendered to police after a sheriff’s deputy fired at him and missed, the DA said.

Booker, who arrived on a bus at the transportation center early Sunday, has a criminal record in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Fitzpatrick said.

According to TMZ, Aaron Hernandez struck a fellow inmate – Andrew Booker then age 25 – in 2014 after a verbal dispute at the jail. According to the report, Booker had been arrested by a police gang unit in September 2014 with 16 bags of cocaine and a loaded gun in his waistband.

Booker allegedly exchanged words with Hernandez before the two men later came across each other in a hallway in the unit, according to the report. Booker was handcuffed, while Hernandez was not. Hernandez was charged with assault and battery in connection with the incident, according to a report in the Sun-Chronicle.

That report has a mug shot of Booker which matches the photo of Booker charged in Syracuse today, Seeber said.

Another photograph also appears in a March 21 media report in which Booker, same age and address, was charged with breaking and entering into a building.

Elizabeth Doran covers education, suburban government and development, breaking news and more. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact her anytime 315-470-3012 or email edoran@syracuse.com

Lazarus Sims, a former Syracuse University basketball player who was recently suspended from his position as Syracuse’s parks department commissioner has been charged with third-degree grand larceny, Syracuse.com reported on Tuesday.

Court documents show Sims is accused of stealing $5,400 from the city between Oct. 16, 2017 and Oct. 31, 2017 by pocketing cash payments from park rentals and city fees, according to Syracuse.com.  An arraignment was held for Sims on Tuesday morning in the downtown Syracuse City Court.

After the discovery of financial discrepancies in the parks department during an audit conducted by City Auditor Marty Masterpole, Sims was put on administrative leave on March 26, Syracuse.com reported.

Sims pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to Spectrum News.

According to Syracuse.com, Sims was still collecting a paycheck after he was suspended by Walsh following the audit. Syracuse.com also reported that Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens will take over the parks department during Sim’s absence, and Deputy Commissioner Julie LaFave will oversee day-to-day operations.

Common Councilor Susan Boyle requested the audit in January after receiving information about the parks department from community members who raised concerns, Syracuse.com reported.

“This whole thing stinks. I hope the District Attorney says there’s nothing to see here,” Masterpole told Syracuse.com in late March. “But I couldn’t turn a blind eye to this.”

Sims was hired as parks commissioner in 2015 under former Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner. He was reappointed on Dec. 31 when Walsh took office, according to Syracuse.com.

Syacuse.com also reported that Walsh said in a news release that he was saddened by the news of the charges.

“Lazarus has done a lot of good for Syracuse and, in particular, for young people in the city,” Walsh said in the news release, according to Syracuse.com.

Sims played basketball for SU as a point guard from 1992 to 1996. He helped lead the team to an NCAA championship that SU lost to Kentucky. Sims is also a Syracuse native and grew up playing basketball on the South Side, Syracuse.com reported.

After leaving SU, Sims went on to play professional basketball overseas and played for the Harlem Globetrotters, Syracuse.com reported.

In 2007, Sims returned to his alma mater to join SU Basketball Coach Jim Boeheim’s staff as the director of player development. After four years at SU, Sims left to become an assistant coach at Binghamton University.

According to Syracuse.com, Sims will return to court on May 7.

Published on April 17, 2018 at 9:44 pm

Contact Daniel: dstrauss@syr.edu