Five shot, one killed in shooting at house rented to shoot music video
Five people were shot − one fatally − in northeast Rochester Tuesday night, marking the city's second homicide in less than 24 hours.
Officers were called to an Illinois Street house, near Atlantic Avenue, around 10:30 p.m. after more than 20 shots were fired from multiple weapons inside, said Rochester Police Chief David Smith. Between 20 and 30 people were inside the house, which was rented for the night to shoot a music video and to commemorate a homicide victim from several years ago, he said.
As officers arrived at the "chaotic scene" on Illinois Street, which is several blocks away from East High School, four shooting victims arrived by private vehicle at Rochester General Hospital, Smith said.
One of the injured men - Jahkeem Douglas, 24 - was pronounced dead at the hospital and a second shooting victim was in critical condition. Two others at the hospital suffered injuries that were not considered life threatening. A fifth shooting victim, a man in his 20s, was taken by ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. None of the injured men, all Rochester residents who ranged in age between 19 and 30, were identified by police.
No charges have been filed in connection with this shooting, which marks Rochester's 76th homicide of 2022.
At a mid-afternoon news conference, Smith emphasized that "a majority of our gun-involved violence in the city is the result of disputes" and people who know one another involved in an argument that escalates into violence.
"This incident is an example of arguments and disputes that are taken to the next level that lead to the loss of life," said Rochester Mayor Malik Evans. "The shootings last night and the young man who now will not be with his family for Christmas and the New Year is the result of foolishness. Plain and simple."
Police are investigating the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call 911.
2022 homicides in Rochester NY
Rochester saw 81 homicides in 2021 when the Flower City had the fifth-highest homicide rate in the nation. The 2022 tally is 76. The city is currently averaging a slaying every 4.6 days in 2022, a pace slightly behind last year's.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Jahkeem Douglas killed, 4 others shot on Illinois St. in Rochester NY
