Police release ID of 2 men shot and killed on Chestnut Street Thursday

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Rochester Police are looking for a shooter following a shooting that killed two men in an apartment building in Rochester Thursday morning.

Officers went to the scene on Chestnut Street near East Avenue around 3 a.m. for a report of multiple shots fired.

Capt. Frank Umbrino said officers went into the eight-floor building believing the shooter could’ve still been inside. As they worked to clear people out of the building, he said police found the first man dead in the stairwell to the second floor. Umbrino said officers then found the other man dead in the hallway of the third floor.

The victims were later identified as Tywan Harper, 22, who police say lived at 35 Chestnut St, and Malakai Smith, 19, of Greece.

He did not provide the exact ages of the two men killed but said one man was in his late teens, the other was in his early 20s. The murders marked the 69th and 70th homicide victims in Rochester in 2021. Seventy homicides made 2021 the deadliest year in Rochester’s history. Just a few hours later on Thursday, there was another homicide, bringing the total to 71.

“It’s terrible, it’s scary for the people who live here, scary for the officers that have to walk into a potential active shooter situation investigation," Umbrino said. "People are sleeping at 3 o clock in the morning, they shouldn’t be woken up by gunfire outside of their apartment, it sucks.”

Umbrino said officers believe one of the men lived in the apartment building, and the shooting appeared to be targeted.

He says the shooter ran from the building before police got there, and there is no description of the suspect at this time. While a motive is not known, the captain said all other people living in the apartment are safe, and there is no immediate threat to the community.

The captain was "not prepared" to say if the building has been a problem for police before.

"It just gets really old having to talk to the families and explaining that their loved one is not going to be at the dinner table this evening, Umbrino said. "We as a community need to stand up and we need to put our foot down, and say enough is enough. If people know something they need to call us, because whoever did this, it may be your family member that gets killed tomorrow by the same people."

DEADLIEST YEAR TO DATE
In a release Thursday morning, Umbrino shared homicide numbers dating back to 1970, it showed 2021 outpaced 1991 for the deadliest year. 1991 had 69 recorded homicides, per RPD data. Umbrino noted record keeping in the early years was not as reliable as it is today. A man who died this year, Rasheem Broughton, was shot back in 1991. His death was ruled a homicide, but it was counted in 2021 due to the FBI’s reporting standards.

Here’s a look at the data shared by police.

Year	Number of Homicides
1970	22
1971	32
1972	30
1973	35
1974	33
1975	31
1976	31
1977	55
1978	38
1979	31
1980	29
1981	38
1982	34
1983	33
1984	40
1985	30
1986	40
1987	31
1988	39
1989	44
1990	43
1991	69
1992	50
1993	68
1994	66
1995	60
1996	50
1997	57
1998	48
1999	32
2000	42
2001	45
2002	45
2003	57
2004	37
2005	54
2006	52
2007	49
2008	44
2009	27
2010	40
2011	34
2012	38
2013	42
2014	35
2015	37
2016	44
2017	29
2018	28
2019	32
2020	51
2021	71 (As of Nov. 12)

RESPONSE TO VIOLENCE

In response to Thursday morning’s shooting, and recent violence, Rochester Mayor-Elect Malik Evans released the following statement:

"Last Tuesday, on Election Day, November 2nd, a 15-year-old was murdered. A week later, on Tuesday, November 9th, multiple teenagers were shot in one night. Early this morning, Rochester marked its 70th homicide with the slaying of two individuals on Chestnut and Elm Streets. Most alarming is the sheer number of teens that have been shot this year. Sixty people under the age of 18 have been shot in 2021. Violence in our city has become an all too common occurrence. I want to reiterate that we as a community must not let violence become normalized. We are in a state of emergency, and we must have a "whole community" approach to solve this issue. As part of my transition, we will be pulling together all who are willing to help tackle the scourge of violence in our community. The government cannot and will not solve this problem alone. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families of these most recent slayings.

I look forward to engaging with our community as we seek transformative, systemic change."

As for the Chestnut shooting, the Major Crimes Unit is conducting the investigation and is asking anybody with information to call 911, the Major Crimes Unit at (585) 428-7157, Crime Stoppers at (585) 423-9300, or email MajorCrimes@cityofrochester.gov