Gun violence runs rampant: 8 weekend shootings

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Rochester communities and police are struggling with a violent weekend. We’re tracking eight shootings in two days.

The most recent set of them came over just a few hours, in broad daylight on Sunday. Police are still searching for gunmen in all eight shootings. When we spoke to the police, you could tell they were stretched thin.

"I saw people running, and then when I came out of the store I saw someone shot and he was bleeding and there was blood all over the place so I went home to get out of the environment,” a witness said, who wanted to remain anonymous.

That witness is a mother, who says she was playing dolls with her daughter on her front lawn when shots were fired on the corner of Dewey Avenue and Glendale Park Sunday afternoon. She lives close to the scene.

"It was crazy, he just came out and started shooting and that was it,” she told News10NBC’s Stephanie Duprey shortly after the shooting happened.

Rochester police have seven, open shooting investigations from over the weekend.

"It’s a lot,” Lt. Joseph Perrone said, with the Rochester Police Department.

On Sunday alone there were five shootings. The first was around noon on the 800 block of Glide Street where a 53-year-old man was shot. Then gunfire went off around 12:45 on Parsells Avenue. A 28-year-old woman is recovering after being shot once. Just about an hour later, more shots were fired on Driving Park Avenue. Police say a 28-year-old man is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Just as police arrived at Driving Park, another round of shots went off on Dewey Avenue. That victim was a 54-year-old man who is expected to be ok. A few hours later police found themselves at Joseph Place when a man walked into the hospital with a gunshot wound. At 6:30 p.m. another house—with four children inside—was hit by gunfire.

“It’s a lot, even four shootings in one day is a lot it would be a lot in most cities it’s taxing for everyone involved resources for the department and the victims’ families so they have to go through such a thing,” Perrone added.

Saturday afternoon a 53-year-old man was shot on York Street, he’s expected to survive. Later Saturday night a 14-year-old boy was the victim of gun violence on Woodward Street. We’re told he’s expected to be ok. Police are begging the community at this point to speak up on these investigations and illegal guns.

"Please, if anyone knows who’s carrying guns who are involved in the violence or the dispute before it gets to gun violence please contact us so we can intervene, if we can get things going in a positive direction for those people you might see less of what we’re seeing,” Perrone added.

All of these shootings are under investigation. It was not clear if any of them are connected. Police do not have any suspects in custody for any of the eight shootings right now.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or the Crime Stoppers tip line at (585) 423-9300. Tips can also be made anonymously online, here.