Three days of violence in Rochester neighborhood ends in officer's murder, prosecutor says
Christopher Rodriguez was in the midst of a commonplace yardwork chore — blowing leaves from his front lawn on North Clinton Avenue — when the gunfire erupted.
At first Rodriguez thought he'd heard firecrackers. Then the debris from a house struck him in the back; police would later determine gunfire chipped away at the home's exterior.
Rodriguez ducked behind his parked truck, sheltering himself while worried about his children inside his apartment.
This was the evening of July 19, 2022, the first day of what a prosecutor described in court Thursday as three days of devastation and death that scarred a city neighborhood. Rodriguez was one of the first witnesses to testify Thursday in the trial of Kelvin Vickers Jr.
Gunfire can be a common sound in his neighborhood, Rodriguez said — his apartment is near the intersection of North Clinton and Rauber Street — but these shots were so close that he had to dash for his life.
Rodriguez estimated he heard at least 30 rounds.
Vickers, 22, is accused of three homicides, including the fatal shooting of Rochester Police Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz, known to his colleagues as "Maz," on July 21.
The string of violence and crimes, including arson, were all interconnected, First Assistant District Attorney Perry Duckles said in court Thursday, in the opening statement of the trial. During those days:
Three men, including Mazurkiewicz, were fatally shot.
Two other men, including another police officer, were seriously wounded.
A teenager was hit by an errant shot.
Neighbors in the street scattered into their homes, trying to dodge gunfire.
Linking the crimes, police have alleged, was a turf war between rival marijuana-trafficking operations fighting for control of areas east of North Clinton Avenue. Vickers is from Boston, allegedly summoned here by the leader of a drug-dealing group to provide extra muscle and firepower.
The three days — July 19 through July 21 — will be "forever linked," Duckles said.
"What is done cannot be undone," he said.
On July 19, the conflict allegedly led to an ambush and gunfight, with semiautomatic weapons sending neighbors, including Rodriguez, scurrying for safety.
On July 20, Richard Collinge and MyJel Rand, were fatally shot and another man injured on North Clinton Avenue. Vickers, Deadrick Fulwiley, and Raheim Robinson are accused of murder and attempted murder in those crimes. Vickers is being tried separately.
On July 21, Mazurkiewicz, a 29-year veteran of the police force, and his partner, Sino Seng, were working a plainclothes detail on Bauman Street, conducting surveillance in a 20-year-old Dodge Caravan van. They were looking for a vehicle linked to the violence when they were ambushed. Mazurkiewicz was killed and Seng wounded.
Seng "was lucky enough to survive the ambush, though that is small comfort," Duckles said.
LISTEN TO A D&C PODCAST: Reporter Rob Bell spent time on the streets this summer to find out what people are grappling with in Rochester. It's called "City on Fire," and you can listen below and find all the episodes on your podcast platform of choice.
What to expect from Vickers trial in Rochester?
Videos seized from homes that were searched after the homicides will show Vickers armed and leaving and returning after the crimes, Duckles said. (Evidence in a federal case focused on the drug trafficking has shown some of the videos pulled from residential security cameras.)
Police found Vickers in an abandoned home near where Mazurkiewicz was killed and Seng wounded. A 9 mm handgun found there has allegedly been linked to the homicides through ballistics.
Also, prosecutors say, Vickers' DNA was on the gun.
His defense attorney, Michael Geraci, told the jury in his opening statement to focus on "intent" and "identification" as they hear evidence in a trial expected to last up to five weeks.
Can prosecutors prove intent with the crimes? he asked. And defense lawyers are likely to question whether witnesses can definitively put Vickers at crime scenes.
In cross-examination Thursday, Rodriguez faced those very questions, acknowledging that he could not identify three men he saw who engaged in the apparent gun battle on July 19. Evidentiary photos showed bullet holes in Rodriguez’s apartment and in the apartment above his.
Vickers is also accused of weapons-related crimes connected to three semiautomatic firearms. Those guns, Duckles said, are part of the glue cementing the crimes.
— Gary Craig is a veteran reporter with the Democrat and Chronicle, covering courts and crime and more. You can reach Craig at gcraig@rocheste.gannett.com. He is the author of two books, including "Seven Million: A Cop, a Priest, a Soldier for the IRA, and the Still-Unsolved Rochester Brink's Heist." Say hello to Gary if you see him writing at the local coffeeshop (unless he looks like he is on an urgent deadline! - editor).
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Kelvin Vickers trial: Violence in neighborhood ends in officer's murder
