Man charged in fatal ‘ambush’ shooting of Rochester police officer

Rochester police officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz was fatally shot.
AP

A person has been arrested and charged with homicide within the ambush-style taking pictures loss of life of a veteran Rochester police officer on Thursday night time, police stated. 

Kelvin Vickers, 21, was busted about an hour after Anthony Mazurkiewicz, a 29-year member of the power, was killed whereas sitting in a parked cruiser along with his accomplice, Sino Seng at about 9:15 p.m.

The suspect was discovered hiding in a crawl house of a vacant home close to the scene with a loaded 9mm handgun, Rochester Police Capt. Frank Umbrino stated at a press convention on Friday.

A preliminary check has decided that the gun was the weapon used within the deadly taking pictures.

Seventeen photographs have been fired into the police automobile from behind, authorities stated.  

Seng, an eight-year veteran with the division, was wounded within the leg and later discharged from the hospital. He jumped out of the automobile and returned fireplace, however the suspect was not hit, cops stated.

Rochester police Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz was shot lifeless Thuesday. night time.

Rochester Police Division

Officer Sino Seng and a 15-year-old lady have been shot however not killed within the assault.

AP

A 15-year-old lady in a close-by residence was additionally struck and wounded.

Vickers was charged with second-degree homicide, tried homicide, assault and weapons counts. He's from the Boston space and has an “in depth felony background,” Umbrino stated.

When he was 12-years-old, Vickers was charged for assault and battery on an officer, police advised WHAM.

As an grownup, he’s been convicted of possession of an unlicensed firearm, cops stated.

Police discovered Kelvin Vickers hiding within the crawl house of a vacant residence

AP

The taking pictures got here simply hours after the upstate metropolis was put underneath a state of emergency after one other 12 months of rampant gun violence.

“Tony Mazurkiewicz may have simply retired, however he selected to proceed happening the streets as a result of he didn’t need of us in our neighborhoods to be held hostage by the very cowards which might be wreaking havoc in our group,” Mayor Malik Evans stated in a written assertion Friday.

“Not solely am I unhappy for the Mazurkiewicz household — and we pray for the speedy restoration of Sino Seng — I'm offended. And upset. As a result of all too usually, we're seeing a blatant disregard for all times,” he stated.

There have been 41 homicides and greater than 200 individuals had been shot in Rochester this 12 months.

AP

Earlier than Mazurkiewicz was slain, the town of about 200,000 individuals had seen 41 murders this 12 months — one lower than this time final 12 months. Over 200 individuals have been shot to date this 12 months.

The mayor stated latest shootings have been “instantly tied to a lethal cycle of disputes and retaliations.”

An analogous state of emergency was declared by the town’s earlier mayor, Beautiful Warren, in Nov. 2021. The declaration affords the town extra sources from different legislation enforcement businesses to fight the violence.

On the press convention, Umbrino recalled how after Thursday’s declaration, he’d been requested, “how harmful is it on the market for the officers of the Rochester Police Division?”

“My response was that day-after-day the women and men of this division depart their residence not realizing if they may return to see their households on the finish of their shift,” he stated, rising emotional.

“Ten hours later, Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz — a father, a husband and a 29-year veteran of the Rochester Police Division — was killed within the line of obligation.”

“It was Tony Mazurkiewicz as we speak. But it surely may very well be any of us on this room tomorrow,” he stated.

Vickers will likely be arraigned in Rochester Metropolis Courtroom on Saturday morning, WHAM reported.

With Put up Wires