Weekend killings continue violent November in Rochester: What we know now
A deadly weekend followed a violent week in Rochester.
Four people were shot and killed within city limits in a 24-hour span over the weekend. And a woman died of unknown reasons in Irondequoit, police calling her death suspicious.
The deaths bring Rochester's 2021 homicide total to 75; the most since 70 people were killed in 1993.
Eight of this year's homicides occurred since the start of November, including seven people killed between Thursday and Saturday last week.
Last week, in response to the violence, Mayor Lovely Warren declared a state of emergency to combat the escalating gun violence.
Despite increased efforts bolstered by state and federal law enforcement officials, gun violence continues to plague the city. In a joint statement with City Council Vice President Willie Lightfoot, Warren issued the declaration to "ensure additional resources are brought to bear with one clear goal: removing violent offenders from our neighborhoods."
She cited “unprecedented levels of gun violence” and said the city has “maximized use of local resources to address and reverse” the violence.
As of Nov. 12, 370 people have been shot, 47 fatally, in 307 shootings this year, according to RPD's Open Data Portal. (This does not include the most recent homicides and shootings.)
Here's what we know now about the weekend deaths:
West Ave. shooting
Two men were shot, one fatally, during a shootout in a parking lot outside P.I.'s Lounge, 495 West Ave., Rochester around 11:45 p.m. Friday.
Stephen Morgan, 38, of Rochester was shot once in his upper body and was killed.
Capt. Frank Umbrino of the Rochester Police Department said that Morgan was not the intended target of the shooting. He was a passenger inside a vehicle parked in the lot when gunfire erupted and was caught in the crossfire. The driver of that car left the scene. Police were called to Day Place in southwest Rochester, where they found a wounded Morgan and pronounced him dead at the scene.
Officers also found a seriously injured man in his 30s in the parking lot of P.I,'s Lounge, who was also shot during the shootout. He was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital for treatment. Umbrino said that while the man suffered "very serious injuries," his condition improved and he was upgraded to stable on Sunday. Police have not released that man's name.
No charges have been filed in connection with the double shooting.
West Ridge Road shooting
Around 2 a.m. Saturday, Sean Semprie, 29, was shot several times in the upper body in the parking lot of the Black Bear Pub, 380 W. Ridge Road, Rochester. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said a large crowd was gathered in the lot when the shooting took place.
No charges have been filed in connection with the fatal shooting.
Pioneer St. shooting
Two men were shot, one fatally, at a home on Pioneer Street in Rochester's 19th Ward just before noon on Saturday.
Killed was Malcolm Owens, 34, who went to see his father Steven Owens, 64, at the Pioneer Street home on Saturday. While there, an argument escalated into gunfire, killing the younger Owens and injuring a second man, also in his 30s. The injured man, whose name was not released and lives outside New York, is expected to survive.
Malcolm Owens, a former Rochester resident, had moved to Virginia where he lived with his wife and four young children. He was in Rochester visiting family when he was killed.
After a brief manhunt, the elder Owens was arrested Sunday evening by members of the U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force. Steven Owens was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree assault, both felonies, in connection with the death of his son and the shooting of the second man.
Steven Owens was arraigned in City Court on Monday morning. He pleaded not guilty and was remanded to the Monroe County Jail without bail.
Additional charges are pending.
Irondequoit 'suspicious death'
Police in Irondequoit are investigating a "suspicious unattended death" in the Sea Breeze neighborhood, Chief Alan Laird said on Saturday.
Officers were called at 12:30 p.m. Saturday to Nixon Drive directly across from Seabreeze Amusement Park, to check the welfare of a woman.
The Monroe County Medical Examiner's Officer later ruled out foul play and determined that the woman died as a result of a medical episode, Laird said on Tuesday.
Athens St. shooting
A man was fatally shot on Athens Street, near Harris Street just before 11 p.m. Saturday. Marcus Britt, 33, was shot at least once and was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
No charges were filed in connection with the homicide.
Contact Victoria Freile at vfreile@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @vfreile and Instagram @vfreile. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Violence in Rochester NY leaves 4 dead: What we know now
