City employee one of two women slain in Maplewood Park mass shooting

Bonnie Marrocco & Colleen Farrell News10NBC

Mass shooting wounds 6, kills 1

The day's major News events, business reports, sports updates, Rochester area weather information and tomorrow's forecast are presented by the News10NBC Team.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A summer day at a city park ended violently Sunday when seven people were shot, two fatally.

Now, police are on the hunt for the people responsible.

“We are looking for more than one person,” Chief David Smith said Sunday night. “I can’t clarify or quantify if they were part of this gathering or came from the outside.”

The gathering drew hundreds of people for a barbecue, he said. A couple of times, city security stopped by due to complaints about cars on the grass, but the event was peaceful, Smith said.

“Everyone was having a good time. There was no reason to be alarmed or think that anything was going to happen. It was a bunch of people having a picnic in the park,” Smith said.

But gunfire started just after 6:20 p.m. Smith said “multiple” weapons were fired.

Panicked picnickers hid: others ran to their cars and tried to escape. Mayor Malik Evans, who stopped by the park after the shooting, described the aftermath – and his outrage, noting lots of children were there.

“As I looked at the crime scene and saw a stroller, people’s shoes – our people, our residents, should be able to enjoy a summer in a park, period. But all too often we have individuals in this community who are unmitigated cowards, who are okay with shooting women, and two of those women lost their life,”

Mayor Malik Evans

One of the women, Tyasia Manning, 25, worked in the R-centers “to help young people become their best selves,” he said. Flags at city facilities will fly at half-staff in her honor.

“She was simply at a barbecue. Not causing problems. Not causing confusion. Not involved in any chaos, as most of the people that were there,” Evans said.

The other victim has been identified as Phylicia Council, 34.

Evans said there is lots of video of the event and asked witnesses to come forward with no matter how small they think a detail might be.

Of the wounded, they are expected to be okay.

Carla Owens Martin was outside her home when she heard gunfire.

“I thought it was firecrackers but then when I saw people running I knew it was gunshots. As I was coming towards the front of my house, there was a young lady running towards me gasping for air, asking me to help her, help her, help her. So I lifted my trunk up, got her a bottle of water, and sat her down,” she said.

There are several cameras in the area, Smith said. He’s also asking people who may have rushed out of the park to check whatever photos or video they may have.

“We’re going to need everybody’s help on this one but I can tell you the Major Crimes Unit is doing extremely well this year so to the folks who did this, I will be seeing you,”

Chief David Smith

The shooting at Maplewood Park came on the heels of two homicides over the weekend.

Smith said the community has been helpful with tips in other crimes and he’s calling on anyone with information to step forward now.

“So once again, I’m asking our community to step up and hold those who brought violence to a barbecue in a park yesterday accountable,” he said.

Anyone with footage or information should call 311, 911, email MajorCrimes@cityofrochester.gov, call the Major Crimes Unit at 428-7157, CrimeStoppers at 423-9300, or use the ReportIt app.

.