Man charged in drive-by shooting on Hudson Ave, RPD needs your help finding car

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Police have arrested a man for a drive-by shooting that happened a month ago and identified a possible motive. Police are looking for a car that they believe was used in the murder.

Timothy Thomas, 31, is accused of pulling up to a moving car and firing multiple shots into it, killing 42-year-old Orlando Santiago. He was charged with second-degree murder and plead not guilty on Wednesday.

The Rochester Police Department said that Santiago fatally shot the brother of Thomas in self-defense in January 2019. Santiago was working as a security guard at the time at Cedarwood Towers. A grand jury determined that Santiago’s shooting was justifiable, since the man he shot started physical altercations with Santiago and others at the apartment complex.

Santiago was shot as he was driving on Hudson Avenue at around 4:30 p.m. on May 29. The shooting caused his car to careen off the roadway, travel up the sidewalk for about a block, and come to rest against a tree.

Officers responded to the report of an accident at the corner of Hudson Avenue and Ernst Street, where they found Santiago dead.

RPD took Thomas into custody on Tuesday afternoon after an investigation. RPD is still looking for a car that they said Thomas was driving. The car is a 2005 gray Chevy Tahoe with New York license plate number KMJ-4116. There is no front tag on the car, the Chevy logo on the grill is red, and there are grey plastic covers on the rear of the car.

Anyone who has seen the car is asked to call 911.

Thomas will be back in court on Friday at Rochester City Court. He was given no bail.