ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Fifteen people have died after contact with local law enforcement in the last five years, and by law, every case goes to the state attorney general.

Chief Investigative Reporter Berkeley Brean of News10NBC went through the 15 cases listed on the AG’s Office of Special Investigations and found that not a single officer, deputy or trooper has ever been charged in these cases.

Scroll down to see and watch the list

The list includes the shooting of a deaf man with a knife inside a Henrietta hotel in August and the Monroe County deputy shooting of Greg Kase.

The Rochester police shooting of Eric Davis last year is still open, along with the Kase case. Of the remaining 12 cases, only two were ruled justified by the attorney general.

Those two cases were the shooting death of Akintunde Campbell last year and the death of Timothy Flowers five years ago.

Most cases “would not be able to disprove…”

In most cases, the attorney general’s office used language like it “would not be able to disprove” that the shooting “was justified” at a trial.

“So the fact that they declined to prosecute doesn’t mean there wasn’t a death, it just means they’re not going to be able to prove that case beyond a reasonable doubt,” Greg Rinckey, founding partner of Tully Rinckey LLC, said.

“And we have to remember – Monday morning quarterbacking after where that cop is at that split second when someone is either coming at them or they fear their life is in danger is a very dangerous thing to do,” Rinckey said.

Here is the list of local cases on the NYS Attorney General Office of Special Investigations:

2026

Gregory Kase
MCSO
open

2025

Eric Davis
RPD
open
3 officers shot

Akintunde Campbell
RPD
officers “were justified”

2024

0

2023

Todd Novick
RPD
“would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial… the officer was justified”

Daniel Legler
NYSP
“a prosecutor could not disprove beyond a reasonable doubt that his actions were justified”

Brendon Burns
RPD MCSO
“a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officers who fired were justified”

Brandon Zurkan
OCSO, Canandaigua City Police
“a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt that the use of deadly physical force against Mr. Zurkan… was justified”

2022

Angely Solis
Greece Police Department
Greece Police Department Officer Tiffani Gatson shot Angely Solis, causing her death. Within minutes, Officer Gatson took her own life.
“no reason to believe that any person other that Officer Gatson was involved in the death of Ms. Solis, there is no person left alive who could be prosecuted for that death.”

Janet Jordan
RPD
On March 14, 2022, off duty Rochester Police Department (“RPD”) Sergeant Melvin Williams shot Janet Jordan, causing her death. Within a few hours, Sgt. Williams took his own life.
“OSI uncovered no evidence indicating that any other person was involved in the homicide. Therefore, there is no basis on which OSI could seek charges against any living person in this case.”

2021

Wesley Soper
MSCO
Deputy hit Mr. Soper with his patrol car while investigating a suspicious activity
“OAG will not seek charges against (the deputy) because the evidence does not show that Dep. Houlihan committed a crime.”

Simran Gordon
RPD
“we cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that his actions were not justified.”

Dedrick James
New York State Police, Rochester Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, United States Marshal’s Service Fugitive Task Force
“the evidence does not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the actions… were unjustified.”

Timothy Flowers
RPD
“OAG will not seek charges… because the evidence in OSI’s investigation indicates (the officers’) use of deadly physical force was justified.”

Mark Gaskill
RPD
“OAG will not seek charges in this matter because we cannot disprove that the officers’ actions were justified”

The attorney general’s Office of Special Investigations has been around since 2021 to remove any local conflict of interest between police and the district attorney.

News10NBC will continue to follow developments in these cases.

The post News10NBC Investigates: AG cases show 15 people died after contact with Rochester-area law enforcement in five years, no officers charged appeared first on WHEC.com.