A Syracuse man has been arrested for murder just five days after Jermaine Whitehead, 37, was found shot to death on Furman Street. Whitehead was killed following a fight at a nearby party and as our Candace Hopkins reports, police are crediting witnesses’ cooperation for helping solve this crime so quickly.

  To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Police say an early morning party at a home on Cortland Ave. led to a deadly encounter between two men: Jermaine Whitehead and Demetrius Huddleston, 24.

"He's confronted by Demetrius Huddleston and during this confrontation, Demetrius Huddleston fires three shots at Jermaine Whitehead, one of which of struck him in the head, causing his death," Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler.

Moments after those shots were fired, police were called to the 300 block of Furman Street. It was just before 5 a.m. They found shell casings, but no victim and proceeded to leave. Three hours later, Whitehead's body was discovered behind a shed on the other side of the street.

Fowler said, "Every piece of information and evidence at that time pointed to 341 Furman Street as being the subject or the target of these shots fired, but obviously, it wasn't. It was in the opposite direction, but we didn't know that until Mr. Whitehead was discovered some hours later."

Using information from several witnesses, investigators were able to identify Huddleston as the alleged shooter. They say that cooperation was key in solving this case so fast.

"I know people watch a lot of TV and they see the CSI and they talk about DNA, but I'm of the opinion the greatest source of information is that of a human source, to have an eyewitness account or someone that can sit in a jury box and can tell their story,” Fowler said. “That is the greatest source of information."

Huddleston now faces two charges: Murder in the second degree, and criminal possession of a weapon. He was arraigned Thursday morning.

Police say Whitehead's killing does not appear to be gang related.

The murder is Syracuse's seventh of 2012.