Syracuse Man Acquitted of Murder and Gun Charge After Jury Found Him Justified in Shooting of 26-Year-Old

A Syracuse man was acquitted of murder and a gun charge Friday after a jury found he was justified in shooting a younger man on Syracuse’s Northside.

Mikel Hackett, 41, fatally shot Mason Doran, 26, on the 100 block of Neutral Court on April 23, 2025, after Doran started a fight with Hackett.

Hackett’s defense attorneys conceded that Hackett killed the man but argued he was not guilty of murder because he feared for his life.