Six wounded, officer injured in ‘chaotic’ mass shooting at MLK Park
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester Police are still searching for the person who shot into a crowd early Sunday morning, wounding six people in a mass shooting at MLK Park on Court Street.
Around 2:45 a.m., Rochester Police Chief David Smith says a fight broke out while several people were hanging out at MLK Park on Court Street. At least one person pulled out a gun and fired into the crowd, he said.
Officers were in the area when they heard gunshots. They found a 33-year-old man wounded, and applied a tourniquet. He is expected to recover.
Five others were shot, all in the lower body. Their injuries are considered not life-threatening:
- 17-year-old male
- 18-year-old male
- 21-year-old man
- 25-year-old woman
- 20-year-old woman
As officers worked the scene, Smith says a man blocked them and started fighting them. As they tried to detain him, an officer was injured. Joshua Sanchez, 38, has been charged with second-degree assault, obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest, and second-degree harassment. The officer has a knee injury and is expected to be out of work for some time.
“These scenes are very chaotic. It is very hard to determine, quite frankly, who is suspect, who is victim, and what’s going on, especially as you’re dealing with crowds of this size.”
Chief David Smith
The shooting drew a large response from RPD, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and New York State Police.
“We don’t know if it was one person with a gun, if it was more. We don’t know what started the fight and we probably won’t know for awhile. We have to see how the investigation plays out.”
Chief David Smith
This happened hours after the nine-day CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival wrapped for the night.
MLK Park closes at 10 p.m. Smith says the department will be upping its security measures there.
Marc Iacona, executive producer and co-founder of the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival, released the following statement on the shooting:
“MLK Park is not a Jazz Festival venue and all our normal procedures are in place. Please refer to RPD for anything further.“
Smith said Rochester is on track to end the month of June with at least 50% fewer shootings than last June.
On Sunday afternoon, Mayor Malik Evans said the park will now close at 8 p.m. and Court Street between Chestnut Street and the traffic circle will close at 7 p.m. indefinitely.
“Unfortunately, and we are seeing this around the country. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know if it is our discourse. I don’t know if it is social media. I don’t know if its TV. I don’t know what it is. But we are reaching a point where there is no consideration for other people,” said Mayor Malik Evans.