Mateu Healey-Parera ’26, a Cornell student arrested on Saturday for possession of a weapon on Syracuse University’s campus, told a Syracuse Police Department officer that he purchased the rifle to protect himself against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to an affidavit written by SPD officer William Clayton and obtained by syracuse.com.
Healey-Parera told Clayton that he would use the weapon to “shoot an ICE agent as a last resort if they were to come to his home in Ithaca,” according to the affidavit, as reported by syracuse.com.
Healey-Parera, a student in the urban and regional studies program, was found on Syracuse’s campus in possession of a 1905 .30-06 US Rock Island bolt-action rifle with an attached scope and 40 rounds of ammunition while waiting for a bus to Ithaca at approximately 4 p.m. on Saturday, SPD’s Chief of Police Mark Rusin said in a Monday press conference.
Healey-Parera told SPD in the affidavit, that he purchased the weapon and ammunition at Intimidator Sports — roughly an hour away from Cornell’s campus.
Syracuse University's Department of Public Safety received a report from a concerned citizen about a man carrying a tan-colored soft case commonly used for long guns and took Healey-Parera into custody without incident, according to The Ithaca Voice. He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds, a Class E felony under New York State law.
Healey-Parera pleaded not guilty and was arraigned Sunday morning, with bail set at $50,000 cash or $100,000 bond. He posted bail on Wednesday after a relative paid $50,000 by cashier’s check, according to the CNY Central.
His attorneys had moved earlier that day to reduce his bail before Syracuse City Judge Mary Anne Doherty, who denied the motion. CNY Central also reported that Healey-Parera is now at the St. Joseph’s Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program, a psychiatric emergency facility located in Syracuse.
Healey-Parera defense attorney, Jordan McNamara, disputed this in an interview with WSYR, saying he was not aware of Healey-Parera being ordered to a mental health facility.
According to Rusin, the investigation of Healey-Parera’s case has been a multi-agency effort that included the Syracuse University Police Department, Syracuse University DPS, the Onondaga County District Attorney Office, Tompkins County District Attorney Office and the FBI.
When asked why the FBI was involved, Rusin stated in a Monday press conference that the move was a part of an internal protocol to “engage” with SPD’s “federal partners.”
“That’s part of the seriousness in terms of the investigations,” Rusin said. “You start to engage people at different times because they might contribute something to the investigation that may have been a blind spot.”
Healey-Parera initially told Clayton that he had purchased the firearm for self-defense and to practice his marksmanship. Clayton questioned the validity of his claims, according to the affidavit reported on by syracuse.com, and noted that the weapon was not considered a beginner-friendly option and is “certainly not viable” for defense. Clayton also noted that Healey-Parera appeared to be educated and interested in high-powered ammunition, adding that he had done his research at a local library.
Healey-Parera also stated that he joined other Cornell students in protesting an arms dealer who spoke at Cornell, according to Clayton’s affidavit. The presence of multiple police officers at the protest upset Healey-Parera and caused him to consider purchasing a firearm, Clayton wrote in the affidavit, according to syracuse.com.
The Ithaca community has organized protests against ICE, with Cornell students also protesting the presence of ICE at career recruitment events and platforms.
Healey-Parera previously posted on LinkedIn about the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Virtual Career Expo which was held on Feb. 18 and advertised through Cornell Career Services.
“Honestly, I should be furious, but this is what I have come to expect,” Healey-Parera wrote in the post.
Clayton asked Healey-Parera how he felt about government officials, causing Healey-Parera to become "visibly frustrated,” according to the affidavit, as reported by syracuse.com. Healey-Parera’s interview ended with him requesting a lawyer.
“During the entirety of this interview, Healey-Parera appeared very nervous,” the affidavit stated. “Healey-Parera’s face was flush red during most of the interview and pulled on his neck and arms while being questioned. He also appeared to shake uncontrollably and reposition himself multiple times. When asked more direct questions involving government officials, Healey-Parera became visibly frustrated and began to shut down.”
McNamara, Healey-Parera’s defense attorney, claimed that he was within his second amendment rights to purchase the weapon and asserted his "innocence,” according to a Wednesday interview.
McNamara said Healey-Parera had taken a bus to Syracuse to buy the rifle at a gun shop and was returning to the same bus stop for the trip back to Ithaca when he was arrested.
McNamara argued that "everything he did that day, with the exception of where the bus was," was "legally protected," contending that the only potentially criminal element was possessing the weapon on school grounds, since the bus stop happened to be on Syracuse University's campus.
“We in this country have a second amendment right to possess firearms and I understand people’s concerns about where it was found,” McNamara said. “It is a constitutionally protected right to purchase a gun.”
Zeinab Faraj is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She was a features editor and assistant sports editor on the 143rd Editorial Board and can be reached at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
