Second man charged in July 4 killing of Rochester man

Marcia Greenwood and Victoria E. Freile, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·5 min read

UPDATE (Aug. 8, 2022): A man was charged with several felonies - including second-degree murder - in connection with the July 4 shooting death of Willie Wofford 24, according to Rochester Police.

Joshua Williams, 28, was charged with second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon when he was apprehended by police last week in North Charleston, South Carolina, said Capt. Frank Umbrino of the Rochester Police Department. He was transported back to Rochester and is scheduled to be arraigned Monday morning in City Court.

Williams was the second person to be arrested in connection with Wofford's death. Last month Quinjavis Lewis, 30, was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, both felonies, after he allegedly fired multiple gunshots in the direction of four shooting victims, including Wofford, in the lot outside the Trenton and Pamela Jackson R-Center.

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UPDATE (July 13, 2022): A Rochester man was charged with several felonies in connection with the July 3 shooting death of DeAnthony Rodgers, according to Rochester police.

Around 3 a.m. on July 3, Rodgers, 35, and Treyshon Pittman, 30, became involved in an argument at a food cart at Monroe and North Goodman avenues that escalated into gunfire, said Capt. Frank Umbrino of the Rochester Police Department. Pittman is accused of fatally shooting Rodgers in the upper body with a handgun. Another person at the scene shot Pittman in the lower body, Umbrino said. Pittman was taken by private vehicle to Rochester General Hospital, where he was hospitalized for more than a week.

Pittman was charged with second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, all felonies. He is scheduled to be arraigned in City Court on Wednesday morning.

Umbrino said that it did not appear that Rodgers and Pittman knew one another before the fatal encounter.

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UPDATE (July 6, 2022): Rochester police released the name of the man killed in a quadruple shooting early Tuesday morning as Willie Wofford, 24, of Rochester. Police have also filed charges against a 30-year-old parolee in connection with the shooting on North Clinton Avenue.

Quinjavis Lewis, 30, was identified as one of the people who allegedly fired a handgun into the crowd of several hundred partygoers early Tuesday morning, said Capt. Frank Umbrino of the Rochester Police Department. Lewis was released from state prison in April 2020 following a weapons possession conviction and again in March 2021 following a drug possession plea that stemmed from a August 2020 arrest.

Lewis was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, all felonies, Umbrino said. He is accused of firing multiple gunshots in the direction of four shooting victims, including Wofford, in the lot outside the Trenton and Pamela Jackson R-Center. However, Umbrino said police could not say if bullets from Lewis' gun struck any of the victims.

Additional charges may be presented to a Monroe County Grand Jury. Lewis was scheduled to be arraigned in City Court Wednesday morning. He also faces pending felony drug charges out of Steuben County, according to police.

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ORIGINAL STORY (July 5, 2022): Since early Sunday, Rochester has seen three homicides in three separate incidents, including one that happened early Tuesday morning at a gathering of hundreds of people, where, in addition to the homicide victim, three other people were shot and wounded.

Around 2:45 a.m. Tuesday, Rochester police officers were called to the outdoor basketball court area of the Baden Street Recreation Center, 485 N. Clinton Ave., for a report of a man shot, according to a statement issued by Capt. Frank Umbrino of the Rochester Police Department.

Police said it appears there was an altercation near the basketball court that escalated and that multiple gunshots were fired within a crowd they said was between 200 to 300 people.

Officers say they found a 24-year-old man at the edge of the basketball court who had been shot multiple times in his torso. Police said an ambulance was unable to access the scene, so he was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital by a police patrol car. He was pronounced dead there a short time later and police have not yet identified him.

As officers were trying to secure the crime scene, three other victims from the same incident showed up at hospitals by private vehicle, police said: a man in his 30s with a gunshot wound to his torso at Rochester General Hospital; a man with at least one gunshot wound to his torso at Strong; and a female in her 20s with at least one gunshot wound to her upper body at Strong.

Their injuries appear to be non-life threatening.

Two other homicides happened within nine hours of each other on Sunday, police said.

Around 3 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to Monroe Avenue and Goodman Street for a report of shots fired and multiple people shot, according to an RPD statement. Police said they found a male in his 30s with a gunshot wound to his upper body. He was taken to Strong and pronounced dead shortly thereafter. He has been identified as DeAnthony Rodgers, 35, of Rochester.

Another male in his 30s who was determined to have been shot in the same incident was dropped off by private vehicle at Rochester General with injuries to his lower body that were not considered life-threatening. Police said he remains hospitalized.

RPD said both victims and several other people were gathered around a hot dog cart when the shooting happened.

At noon on Sunday, officers responded to 581 Jefferson Ave. for a report of a person shot, police said. When they arrived, they were told a male victim in his 30s had been taken to Strong by private vehicle. RPD said that the man , identified as Tremaris Seymoir, 29, of Rochester had been shot at least once in the upper body and been pronounced dead.

There now been 37 homicides in the city of Rochester in 2022, which is lower than at the same period last year. As of July 5, 2021 there had been 40 homicides.

Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Joshua Williams charged for the killing of Willie Wofford in Rochester