Anti-violence activist: Rochester crime at 'absolute boiling point'

Rochester, N.Y. — A violent Thursday in Rochester: three homicidesand one shooting incident that left a man in critical condition.

One of the victims of the double homicide is being described as a young man with a lot of promise.

As of 11 p.m. on November 11, none of the victims have been identified by police.

Anti-violence activist Justin Morris says he knew one victim well, and sees the spiraling violence as a symptom of many other problems plaguing the city.

Morris talks about his relationship with one of the victims, "I played ball with his father for years. At one point in his life, you know, I was an overseer of him in a facility he was in. I grew to love the kid," he said.

Candles surround a sign on Chestnut St., where the shooting happened early Thursday morning. A memorial was set up near the apartment building where it happened.

Police believe both men were targeted and say there was evidence of gunfire on three floors of the building.

"It's terrible. It's scary for the people who live here, It's scary for the officers that have to walk into a potential active shooter investigation. People are sleeping at 3 o'clock in the morning, they shouldn't be waken up by gunfire at their apartment," said Rochester Police Capt. Frank Umbrino of the Major Crimes Unity.

Hours later, another man in his 20s was shot and beaten in the middle of St. Paul Street early in the same afternoon, making it the third homicide of the day.

"We don't see a lot of homicides downtown but when you look at the assault rate downtown, when you look at the fights, and you look at stabbings and you look like different things of that nature, downtown is not a safe place at all in Rochester," said Morris.

Morris is one of many activists who works on violence prevention efforts throughout the city.

He believes the rise in violence this year is leading to a boiling point for the city.

"Rochester has a gang problem," he says. "When you have a poverty in which we have poverty. This is the manifestation of all of those things coming together," he added.

Many community activists are calling for city leaders to invest more money in gang prevention programs and more mental health services for youth in the city,

Rochester police say anyone with information about these crimes is asked to call 911.