Rochester police shooting deepens divide among city councilors, law enforcement
The investigation into an incident where a Rochester police officer shot and injured a civilian this week has left three city councilors, known for their support of police reform, and local law enforcement predictably in opposite camps.
A 26-year-old man was shot once in the jaw during an altercation with a police officer in a dark backyard on First Street Monday night.
Rochester Police Chief David Smith said the officer chased the man into the backyard after responding to a report of multiple shots fired on Seventh Street. According to Smith, the man allegedly "ambushed" the officer from behind, tackling him to the ground where the two fought over the officer's Taser and handgun. The gun was fired five times, striking the man once.
Police on Thursday released edited body-worn camera and surveillance footage related to the shooting. But footage of the actual encounter between the man and officer is dark and unclear, likely because of a lack of ambient light in the yard.
City leadership, law enforcement at odds over police shooting response
On Wednesday, before the footage was released, Rochester city councilmembers Stanley Martin, Kim Smith and Vice President Mary Lupien issued a statement offering sympathies to the man and his family.
"The news of yet another young man shot while fleeing an RPD officer has unfortunately become all too familiar in our city," the statement said. "This is not normal ― it is unacceptable, and we reject all efforts by the RPD to make our community believe otherwise."
Martin issued a similar statement after the fatal police shooting of Brendon Burns in March.
On Friday, they released a second statement saying, in part, "For many of us, the first reaction to any shooting in our community is fear, anger and grief. The follow-up should always be accountability and seeking to understand why this happened and how we could prevent such a tragedy from happening in the future."
Their comments should not be surprising: The three have formed a progressive-leaning bloc on city council that often advocates for community-led alternatives to policing and violence prevention. In many conversations around police accountability and the need for de-escalation tactics, they have pointed to Daniel Prude as evidence, whose death by police in 2020 was kept under wraps for nearly six months.
The three councilmembers called for an independent investigation into the shooting by the Rochester Police Accountability Board.
Their statements stand in contrast to that of Mayor Malik Evans and a cohort of their peers. Evans instead focused on the danger of policing in Rochester.
The majority of city council released a statement late Friday saying comments by the trio were a "rush to judgement" and "prioritized personal politics over the safety of the Rochester community."
"Officers pursued someone who was clearly endangering the community around him, but they also showed restraint and demonstrated compassion," a statement from President Miguel Melendez and councilmembers Mitch Gruber, LaShay Harris, Willie Lightfoot and Michael Patterson said. "If we are going to call RPD out when they misstep, we must also recognize when they do the right thing."
And Martin, Smith and Lupien predictably drew ire from law enforcement, including the Rochester Police Locust Club, which called their initial statement "disgusting, vile and dangerous."
"To have elected officials stand in support of criminals who attack and try to kill police officers is unconscionable," the police union said, noting that the statement was made while a trial for the accused killer of Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz is underway.
The union claimed the three city councilors did not view the body-worn camera footage before releasing their statement.
But their comments come without surprise as well: The Locust Club regularly rejects criticism of its police force and is often vocal about its contempt toward police accountability efforts in Rochester, believing internal systems are already in place.
The Monroe County Association of Chiefs of Police also released a statement Friday denouncing the councilmembers' comments.
"This young officer was doing his job to protect city residents from the lawlessness that these legislators both support and enable with their reckless, extreme behavior over time," the association wrote in a statement signed by 10 local chiefs of police, including RPD Chief Smith and Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter.
"All police officers have been and continue to be put at an even greater risk by anti-police sentiment, espoused by some in government," the statement continued.
What's next in police shooting aftermath?
The Police Accountability Board said it is conducting an investigation into the shooting, starting with an information request from RPD. Residents who have information or evidence to share can contact the agency at 585-428-9999.
Rochester police said the incident is also under investigation by RPD's Major Crimes Unit, the Monroe County District Attorney's Office and the department's Professional Standards Section. Anyone with information is asked to call 911.
Police shootings in Rochester NY
Law enforcement have killed two people in the Greater Rochester area this year and a third in Canandaigua.
The New York State Attorney General's Office is still investigating the deaths of Daniel Legler in Gates, Brendon Burns in Rochester and Brandon Zurkan in Canandaigua this year.
Last year, police killed two people in the Rochester area. In 2021, they killed five.
Comparatively, law enforcement killed two people just outside of Syracuse and two in the Buffalo area last year. In 2021, police killed one person in the Syracuse area. There were no police-related deaths in Buffalo.
Kayla Canne reports on community justice and safety efforts for the Democrat and Chronicle. Get in touch at kcanne@gannett.com or on Twitter @kaylacanne.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester NY councilmembers, Locust Club at odds after police shoot man
