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Rochester shooting: 3 police officers shot, suspect killed in New York shootout – what to know
Three Rochester police officers were shot following a gunfire exchange in the 19th Ward late Friday, December 19, before the suspect was killed.
As many as three Rochester, New York, police officers were shot following a gunfire exchange in the 19th Ward late Friday, December 19. The suspect has been killed in a shootout, according to Democrat and Chronicle.
What we know so far
On Friday, officers assigned to the Rochester Police Department’s Genesee section responded to the 600 block of Chili Avenue around 10:15 pm following a report of an “active domestic” dispute, Rochester Police Chief David Smith said. Several shots were fired, and then the suspect fled the scene, Smith said.
A second shootout took place shortly after down Thurston Road, during which the suspect was killed. Three cops had to be transported to Strong Memorial Hospital for injuries. The status of their injuries is currently unknown.
“This is always our biggest nightmare during this time of the year,” Mayor Malik Evans said at the scene. “These types of incidents. Right now I ask everyone to pray for these officers as they go through this. We will have more information tomorrow. We don’t want to speculate.”
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office wrote on X, “Our hearts are with our @RochesterNYPD brothers and sisters in blue.”
There is no ongoing threat to the public, Smith said. A stretch of Chili Avenue and various roads in the area remained closed off for several hours amid the ongoing investigation, 13ABC WHAM reported.
“They are at Strong Hospital. I don't have statuses on them now,” Smith told reporters about the victims, as seen in a video surfacing online.
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He added, “I can tell you there is no danger to the community, but it's a very big scene and it's going to be quite complicated.”
Evans said, “We don't want to speculate, but right now our priority is the safety of our officers that are out here now in the cold, in this big scene, and making sure that our officers that are currently at the hospital try to pull through this.”
