The city’s Major Crimes Unit was expected to address the media. (Representative image)
Officers found “approximately 100 people” fleeing the scene and have no suspects in custody as of yet. The shooting comes as the city’s police department has been rocked by the suffocation death of Daniel Prude.
- Associated Press ROCHESTER, NY
- Last update: September 19, 2020 3:38 PM IST
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Two people were killed and 14 others injured at a backyard party in Rochester, New York, early Saturday morning, police said.
The deaths included a man and a woman, both between the ages of 18 and 22, Acting Police Chief Mark Simmons told reporters. The 14 injured were transferred to two different hospitals. Simmons said none of them were believed to have life-threatening injuries. “This is truly a tragedy of epic proportions,” Simmons said near the crime scene, which appeared to span at least a block.
The shooting comes as the city’s police department has been rocked by the suffocation death of Daniel Prude.
A video taken in March and released by Prude’s family on September 4 shows Prude handcuffed and naked with a hood spit over his head as one officer pushes his face into the street while another officer presses his knee on his back. Officers held him down for about two minutes until he stopped breathing. They took him off life support a week later.
On Monday, Mayor Lovely Warren fired Police Chief La’Ron Singletary, who said he initially misled her about the circumstances of Prude’s death.
The fatal shooting early Saturday did not appear to be related to the March death.
Officers responded to the shooting calls and found “approximately 100 people” fleeing the scene, Simmons said. Before the call, police were unaware of the party, he said.
“This is yet another tragedy where people are celebrating these illegal and unauthorized house parties on these properties, which, number one, is not safe due to COVID, due to the conditions. And then the alcohol is added and violence and it just becomes a recipe for disaster, “Simmons said.
The acting chief said there were no suspects in custody, adding that it is too early to know if there were multiple shooters.
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