Lt. Gov. speaks about violence in Rochester

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — There were 13 homicides in Rochester as of Wednesday.

Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin was in town Wednesday to talk about the violence in the city.

"So the thing I heard today that I have not heard before in the way it was mentioned today is the importance across the board around jobs and workforce development and investing in the economic vitality of the City of Rochester."

The Lieutenant Governor said we have to do two things: Stop the pipeline of illegal guns coming into New York and give young people meaningful opportunities to choose a different path.

Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said the youth of Rochester are getting shot and killed at a disproportionate rate in our city.

"A 17-year-old murdered in cold blood in broad daylight on Friday," Evans said. "That we invest in those young folks to say, ‘Hey—we want to give you an opportunity to do something positive so that we stop them from doing something that they cannot come back from."

Last year, Rochester had a record-breaking 81 homicides. If the current trend continues, 2022 is on track to surpass that record.