Morning News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on July 21, 2022
Just hours after the city of Rochester declared a state of emergency, 2 police officers were shot, one of them fatally, on Bauman Street. At around 9:15 last night the officers were conducting a detail and a man approached them and opened fire. A woman was shot also and was treated at the scene. One officer was shot in the leg and treated at Strong Memorial. The other was taken to Rochester General where they died from their wounds around midnight. Law enforcement from New York State Police, Irondequoit, Rochester, and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office swarmed the shooting location to help. Officers rushed to both hospitals to support their colleagues. No information on any suspects or if anyone is in custody has been released.
Firing Pin owner Brandon Lewis was at the campaign rally in Fairport when gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin was grabbed by an attendee and attacked. The man yelled “you’re done Lee” and grabbed Zeldin by the arm and fell to the ground, pulling him over on top of him. Zeldin’s aides pulled him away safely. Lewis heard someone yell for a medic and went to his truck to get a first aid kit according to what he told The Batavian. The first aid kit was apparently to help Zeldin’s assistant Alison Esposito who had scraped her knuckles during the altercation.
The City of Rochester is in a state of emergency because of a rise in shootings in the city. 5 people were shot with 2 of them dying on North Clinton Ave in a few hours earlier this week and it was just the latest spate of violence. 202 people have been shot so far this year and 41 people have been murdered, 34 of them with guns. Mayor Evans and City Council President Melendez said the people who are responsible for the violence are “depraved cowards” and called on the communities to rise up and come forward with information to help authorities arrest and convict them. The state of emergency involves targeting the 50 most violent streets in Rochester with more law enforcement and other resources. Community leaders across the city have responded to the increase in police enforcement and said more police leads to better results.
2 people from the Buffalo area face charges following a chase on Interstate 390 in Livingston County. Troopers attempted to stop a Dodge Caravan that displayed a stolen license plate Monday, according to New York State Police. The driver allegedly failed to comply and led police on a pursuit. Deputies from the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office used a tire deflation device to stop the van. They arrested two people after a brief foot chase. 38 year old John Slomka and 33 year old Tina Bredt both of Kenmore and having several active warrants were arrested and are being held in Livingston County Jail for Arraignment. The vehicle was reported stolen out of Niagara Falls.
The second phase of the roof replacement is just the beginning of revitalizing the City center mall according to Public Works Director Brett Frank. The vision of the mall is to have the entrances completely redone and then go from there. City officials say once the entrances are made more attractive and the ubiquitous water buckets are gone they hope more people will want to come in and more stores will want to open shop inside. Money for the entrance project is coming from a 1 million dollar downtown revitalization initiative grant.
Governor Hochul has signed a new law that will help babies. A law signed Thursday will exempt baby and adult diapers from sales tax. It includes all types of diapers including disposable, reusable, and washable options. The “DIAPER Act” is designed to help reduce the tax burden for New Yorkers, especially those in lower income brackets. A report from the CNY Diaper Bank shows that low-income families spend roughly two times as much as those who can afford to buy diapers in bulk.
