ROCHESTER, N.Y. — News10NBC is tracking the city’s response after at least nine people were shot, including two who died, on Rochester’s northeast side from Saturday morning through Sunday morning.
The most recent shooting happened around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, leaving a 35-year-old woman dead and five people wounded near a gas station parking lot around Clifford Avenue and North Street. Before that, a 14-year-old girl was killed in a shooting on North Clinton Avenue near Morrill Street early Saturday morning. Two others were also shot the same morning, one around Weaver Street and Joseph Avenue and another around North Clinton Avenue and Norton Street.
Another victim walked into the hospital around 12:35 a.m. on Saturday with a gunshot wound, and police are still trying to determine where he was shot. There was also violence on Friday morning, when gunfire broke out among a large group on Remington Street off North Clinton Avenue, but no one was hit.
Counseling available after death of Zahnia Barr
Grief and mental health counseling will be available on Monday after the killing of 14-year-old Zahnia Barr. Counselors from BreatheDeep will be at the David F. Gantt R-Center on North Street from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Mayor Malik Evans said Zahnia was an “active and cherished member” of the David F. Gantt R-Center and called the shooting an “unspeakable tragedy.” Police do not believe she was the intended target. Zahnia was a student at Dr. Freddie Thomas Middle School. In a statement, RCSD said it’s aiming to support all who knew Zahnia:
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Zahnia Barr, a student at Dr. Freddie Thomas Middle School. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Zahnia’s family, friends, classmates, and all who knew and loved her. We join them in mourning a young life taken far too soon. We grieve the loss of Zahnia and the future that was taken from her. Every child deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and pursue their dreams.”
“Grief counselors and support staff will be available at Thurgood Marshall Middle School to support students and employees as the school community navigates this difficult time. We encourage families to talk with their children, listen with compassion, and seek support if they need it. We ask our community to keep Zahnia’s loved ones in your thoughts and respect their privacy during this incredibly difficult time.”
Second mass shooting in eight weeks
Sunday’s shooting around Clifford Avenue and North Street is the second mass shooting in Rochester in just eight weeks. The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as four or more people shot in the same place, not including the shooter or shooters.
There was also a mass shooting in Rochester’s East End over the Fourth of July weekend. Seven people were shot and one person was stabbed at two separate scenes that RPD believes were connected on that Sunday morning. The victims, ranging in ages 12 to 18, all had non-life-threatening injuries.
After that shooting, Mayor Evans vowed to put in place some form of curfew. Later that month, Evans announced restrictions on groups of 10 or more people from gathering at night in public places without a permit. The gathering restrictions are in place from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. and apply to people of all ages. The mayor said the shooting showed how large gatherings can turn violent quickly.
City focuses on large gatherings
The shootings over the weekend also happened during large gatherings, on the city’s northeast side. Police say that, leading up to Sunday’s mass shooting, about 100 people gathered on Clifford Avenue. According to officers, someone in a car leaned out of a passenger-side window and started shooting at the crowd, killing 35-year-old Shakara Green.
On Friday night into Saturday morning, officers broke up several crowds of hundreds of people. Police say one “disorderly” crowd began to form around 10:30 p.m. on North Clinton Avenue, and it took officers hours to disperse them. According to police, after the people dispersed, they headed north and eventually reached North Clinton Avenue and Morrill Street, where multiple gunshots rang out within the group. After the crowds fully dispersed, officers found Zahnia Barr dead at the scene. For the next several hours, officers continued to disperse crowds on the city’s northeast side, saying that gunshots were fired in multiple locations.
The morning before that, gunfire also broke out among a crowd of at least 100 people who gathered on Remington Street. Police say they broke up crowds totaling hundreds of people around North Clinton Avenue on Friday night into Saturday morning, and at one point, some people threw glass bottles in the direction of officers.
News10NBC is working to learn how the city will continue to enforce its large gathering restrictions. Evans plans to extend the gathering restriction order every five days.
What’s next in the investigation
RPD hasn’t announced any arrests in the shootings over the weekend. RPD is asking anyone with information about the shootings to call 911 as officers continue to investigate the shootings. After Saturday’s shootings, RPD Chief David Smith spoke about the department’s next steps.
“Tips go a very, very long way. But also, hours and hours are going to be spent going through video surveillance footage. Hours are going to be spent looking at license plate numbers in that video surveillance footage. In an investigation like this, I mean, our major crime section has a tremendous clearance rate.”
Trends in gun violence in Rochester
RPD’s Open Data Portal shows that there have been 78 people shot so far this year in Rochester through July 24, and 20% of this year’s shootings have had multiple victims. With the violence over the weekend, that brings the total to at least 88 people shot.
At this time (Aug. 3) last year, there were 99 people shot, according to the data portal. In May, Mayor Evans announced that Rochester had recorded the lowest number of shootings in more than eight years, since December of 2018. Evans said the city is trending in the right direction when it comes to gun violence, especially since it peaked in 2021 and 2022, but still has a long way to go.
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