A 22-year-old Cornell student was taken into custody on Syracuse University’s campus for possessing a rifle.
Mateu Healey-Parera was arrested on March 7 and charged with criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds after he was found carrying a bolt-action rifle with an attached scope and 40 rounds of ammunition.
Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety received a report of a suspicious person carrying a tan-colored soft case, typically used for carrying rifles, on campus at about 4 p.m. on March 7. When DPS officers found Healey-Parera in the 200 block of Waverly Avenue, they determined he was in possession of a rifle and was waiting to board a bus back to Ithaca, according to a public safety notice.
At a press conference on March 9, Syracuse Police Chief Mark Rusin said Healey-Parera was transported to the DPS headquarters, where he was interviewed by Syracuse Police Department criminal investigation detectives.
When asked about a potential motive, Rusin said that it “would be premature” to release information because he “can’t say definitively” why Healey-Parera was on campus with the firearm.
In collaboration with DPS and the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, the Syracuse Police Department was able to secure an “extreme risk protection order” that includes a warrant to search Healey-Parera’s residence.
He was arraigned at the Onondaga County Justice Center jail and is being held for $50,00 cash bail and $100,000 bond, according to Rusin.
Rusin said if Healey-Parera is released from the justice center, he will be transferred to a local hospital. The investigation is ongoing.
The Syracuse Police Department was assisted by the Ithaca Police Department, the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office, the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI and Cornell University.
(This story has been updated.)
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Cornell student carrying bolt-action rifle detained on Syracuse campus
Reporting by Jillian McCarthy, Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin / Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
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