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On the night of July 31, neighbors, bystanders, and family members of the man killed in an officer-involved shooting in the 19th Ward were visibly distraught at the scene, vocally expressing their grief and frustration.
They said that the victim, who was Black and whose name has yet to be released, suffered from mental illness, and asked why the city’s Person in Crisis line wasn’t called rather than the Rochester Police Department.
A neighbor noted that the man, whom he knew personally, seemed tense and was acting strangely minutes before law enforcement arrived at the scene, adding that the man had a history of mental illness. The neighbor, Bob—who did not want to give his full name—described the man as being non-verbal in the lead-up to the shooting, and confirmed that he had pulled a gun from his pocket and was instructed to drop it before being shot.
Councilmember Stanley Martin arrived at the scene a few hours after the fatal incident and spoke with the victim’s family members while waiting for police to reopen the street where the shooting took place.
Grief-stricken, someone yelled out, “There’s nothing you all can do for me. You all kill people. You all hurt him.” Some eyewitnesses said they heard seven or eight shots, while others noted that chest compressions didn’t begin until the ambulance arrived.
Free the People Roc, a grassroots activist group that advocates against police brutality and is affiliated with Martin, released a statement on Friday.
“When neighbors call 911, they are looking for help, de-escalation, or resolution of a concern. Unfortunately, the primary resource made available to our community is RPD—armed violence workers trained to use force, and shoot to kill,” the statement said.
At an Aug. 1 news conference, Chief David Smith said that officers were responding to 911 calls about a man acting suspiciously on Ernestine Street, between Thurston Avenue and Genesee Parkway Boulevard.
Bello said the man attempted to walk away from officers after being approached and drew a 9mm handgun. Officers instructed him to drop the gun, and when he would not do so, they shot and killed him. At the press conference, the RPD did not comment on the mental health or behavior of the man in the minutes before he was shot.
Rochester City Council members reviewed the body camera footage of the shooting.
Councilmembers Mary Lupien, Kim Smith, and Martin released a joint statement late Friday night on Instagram, offering condolences and stating, “In reviewing the BWC video, we are struck by how quickly the encounter escalated, and recognize that deep structural changes in how we respond to residents, especially those experiencing mental health crises, are long overdue.”
The footage is expected to be released after the investigation into the shooting is completed. Meanwhile, the two officers who shot the man are on administrative leave pending the completion of an investigation into the shooting as per standard practice.
This shooting comes on the heels of the launch of HOPE First ROC, a peer-led crisis response team slated to begin operations this fall in the 19th Ward and Genesse-Jefferson neighborhoods to respond to mental health crises without police involvement.
The program is a recommendation from the Daniel’s Law Coalition following a pattern of peer-led crisis response programs established to serve as alternatives to police intervention after Daniel Prude’s death in 2020.
David Wazana and Emmely Eli Texcucano are members of the Oasis Project’s second cohort.
The Beacon welcomes comments and letters from readers who adhere to our comment policy including use of their full, real name. See “Leave a Reply” below to discuss on this post. Comments of a general nature may be submitted to the Letters page by emailing [email protected].
It’s very obvious that when it comes to people of color the police react much more aggressively and are likely to use force or violence. However, when they come into the Caucasian neighborhoods there is the drastic switch to the notion of protect and serve. Which is sickening because jim crow is over and RPD is funded by black and brown dollars as well. However, the simple fact of the matter is that if this was a white man, who was suffering from a crisis, and was gunned down in his own neighborhood. The reaction would be completely different.
Sorry to this man and his family.
Ms. Martin’s comments confirm the adage that it’s better to let people think you are a fool rather than speak and remove all doubt.
Said in once and many time since, there ought to be a team approach to these types of calls. But the mental health professionals don’t make house calls. They have office hours. And then when the police arrive…and it goes south…..you just blame the police. Nothing ever changes. That is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. (insanity) It is the simple solutions that for some reason cannot be embraced. Think the newly elected mayor could take on the responsibility of redesigning the response team? Nah, that takes work and it’s too damn hard. Semper Fi.
There has always been a divide in our community. Still, inflammatory rhetoric by members of the city council isn’t doing anything to lower the temperature or bring those involved together to achieve a more harmonious future. I suggest that if the RPD still offers the Citizens Police Academy course, every member of the council and the school board should be required to attend. Ironically, in almost every circumstance of a mass shooting or officer-involved shooting these days, there is always a “mental health” component with either the perpetrator or the victim. Why isn’t anyone asking why the man who was shot, and allegedly had mental health issues, had a handgun? Where are the family, community, and neighbors who seem to be aware of this person’s health history, not ensuring he is getting help and doesn’t have a deadly weapon? Why is it always the fault of the police officers who have received lengthy training in the use of force and are protecting themselves and other citizens when threatened? Did the people who called 911 indicate that the individual they saw acting suspiciously on their property notify 911 that the person was vulnerable? Families, neighbors, and the community must take more responsibility for the behavior of the people they love and care about before a crisis erupts. But mostly, let’s wait for the Attorney General’s office and the internal RPD investigations to be completed before elected officials take a prejudicial and uninformed public position.