Rochester, N.Y. – The number of homicides this year has surpassed the total for 2011.
There have been 32 homicides in the city this year, compared to last year’s 31.
Neighbors called police around 5:00 Sunday morning, after hearing gun shots on Copley Street. Rochester Police also heard gun shots on their way to the scene, where they say 37-year-old William Klick was found dead with gun shot wounds to his upper torso.
Hours earlier just before 7:00 Saturday night, a 32-year-old man was found shot to death in a car on Veterans Place off of Alexander Street. 54-year-old Vinh Dac Phan of Rochester has been charged with his murder. Neighbors tell us they knew Phan.
“Very, very, very out of character [for Phan],” said Bethany York, who knew Phan from the neighborhood. “I trusted him with my kids.”
Local activist Reverend Britt Pledger says he's saddened by the increasing crime in the city. He believes people need to start standing up for their communities.
“I don't think nothing's going to stop until the community at large buckles down and says not my street, not my block,” said Rev. Pledger.
Police tell us they’re still contacting family of the Veteran’s Place victim. No arrests have been made in the Copley Street homicide.
