Man murdered on Dewey Avenue in drive-by shooting

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A man in his 20s has is dead after he was shot Wednesday afternoon.

The Rochester Police Department says 21-year-old Eric Martin dropped a family member off at work at 1308 Dewey Avenue on Wednesday. In the parking lot, someone in a car driving down Dewey Avenue fired over a dozen shots out of the car window. Martin was struck in the upper body by one of the gunshots.

Police say he was rushed to Strong Memorial Hospital and remained in critical condition until 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon when he was pronounced dead.

No one is in custody and the motive for the murder is unknown. Police are unsure if Martin was the intended victim or was hit by a random gunshot.

“Overall, gun violence here to date is down around 50 percent from last year but at the same time we’re still having shootings out here. This is unacceptable. At 3 o’clock in the afternoon, somebody is shot in broad daylight,” Rochester Police Lt. Greg Bello said.

William Hudson was working at the Hub MD Tire Shop down the street where the shooting occurred and said that while he is surprised to hear about what happened, he isn’t shocked.

“Since I’ve been here there’s been a lot people getting gunned down,” Hudson says.

Ever since moving into the Maplewood neighborhood, Hudson said that gun violence has him worried about the safety of his children.

“It’s a tragedy. People shooting and getting shot. Man, it’s scary. I’ve got kids and live right up the street,” Hudson said.

Bello explains that investigators are doing everything they can to find out who is responsible.

“While our investigators, our technicians are working to work to find the evidence through cameras and witnesses, try and solve who committed this atrocity,” Bello said.

Despite the uneasy feeling many have around where the shooting happened, Bello said that shooting rates are down across Rochester.

“Overall, gun violence here to date is down around 50% from last year but at the same time we’re still having shootings out here. This is unacceptable. At 3 o’clock in the afternoon, somebody is shot in broad daylight,” Bello said.

Words that don’t give parents like Hudson any comfort, as he struggles to find a solution to the problem.

“I really don’t know man. Just keep them in the house or keep them away from people. Maybe get rid of guns. I don’t know,” Hudson said.

The Major Crimes Unit is investigating this murder and asks anyone with information to call 911.