Retired Rochester police officer shot, killed on Jefferson Ave. What we know now
UPDATE (Nov. 2, 2022): A Rochester man is facing several charges following the September shooting death of former Rochester police officer and school resource officer for the City School District.
Calvin Watkins, 64, was charged last month with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and fourth-degree grand larceny, all felonies, in connection with the Sept. 25 shooting death of William Keith Booker, 50, of Rochester, said Capt. Frank Umbrino of the Rochester Police Department. Watkins is accused of rummaging through Booker's pockets and vehicle and taking items, including Booker's legally-owned handgun.
"The individual(s) responsible for stealing items from Booker as he lay there dying did not shoot Booker, nor was robbery the motive for the shooting," Umbrino said. "The theft was simply a crime of opportunity."
Umbrino said that Watkins is not a suspect in the homicide and that police believe that the motive for the killing was a motor vehicle accident. Umbrino said that police do not believe Booker and Watkins knew one another.
Watkins, who was arrested on Oct. 21, is being held in the Monroe County Jail without bail.
Booker's stolen gun has not been recovered, according to police.
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ORIGINAL STORY (Sept. 26, 2022): Police were called to Jefferson Avenue and Iceland Street in southwest Rochester around 2 a.m. Sunday following a reported car crash and found William Booker, 50, of Rochester, who was shot at least once in the upper body.
Booker was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, said Capt. Frank Umbrino of the Rochester Police Department.
Booker was a Rochester police officer who retired in 2017 after 21 years with the department, said Rochester Police Lt. Greg Bello.
He was a well-known school resource officer within the Rochester City School District for nearly a decade, his final years with the department, Bello said.
District officials said that Booker worked at the Franklin campus.
"We are extremely saddened at the tragic passing of Officer Booker and extend our condolences to his family," Interim Superintendent Carmine Peluso said on Monday. "He was a school resource officer at Franklin High School and developed strong relationships with our students and staff while he was there. He will be missed."
Umbrino said that Booker was driving south on Jefferson when his vehicle struck a parked, unoccupied car on the west side of the road. Investigators said they do not know if he was shot before or after the crash.
The investigation is ongoing.
"A beloved father, son, brother, cousin and friend, Booker served Rochester proudly for 20 plus years as a police officer and beyond that, as a man of faith," his family shared in a printed statement. "Even as we seek justice, we pray that this horrible tragedy and the other senseless homicides that have occurred in Rochester will usher in a much needed change."
Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said his heart is broken for Booker's family and friends.
"That a man who dedicated his professional career to bringing peace and justice to the streets and schools of Rochester has himself fallen victim of that violence in his retirement is a tragedy and yet another reminder that our entire community must join in the effort to end this violence," Evans said.
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello said he was "shocked and saddened" about Booker's slaying and described him as "an integral part of the RPD family and served for more than a decade as a steady presence at the City School District's Franklin campus. His tragic death is not just a loss for them, but a loss for us all."
Woman found dead in alley in Rochester NY
In a separate incident, around 11 p.m. Saturday, officers found a deceased woman in an alley on Pearce Street, off North Plymouth Avenue. Mary Simzer, 65, of Rochester, "was obviously the victim of a murder," Umbrino said. Further details about the incident, including how or when Simzer died, were not released. The investigation is ongoing.
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 weekend homicides brought the 2022 tally to 62. The city is currently averaging a slaying every 4.3 days in 2022, a pace slightly ahead of last year's.
"Record homicides and gun violence are terrorizing innocent citizens of this community," Bello said Monday. "This is a crisis and it will take our entire community working together to bring this outbreak to an end."
Anyone with information about the recent cases is asked to call 911, RPD's Major Crimes Unit at 585-428-7157 or CrimeStoppers at 585-423-9300.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: William Booker, retired Rochester NY officer, fatally shot
