NEWS

RPD mourns officer killed in city shooting; 2 others wounded

Kevin Oklobzija
Staff writer
A member of the medical staff and a Rochester Police Officer walk together down the hallway after a press conference confirming that the officer shot on Hudson Avenue died at Rochester General Hospital in Rochester.

The Rochester Police Department is in mourning after an officer was shot and killed while attempting to apprehend a suspect just after 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

The identity of the officer was not released when police Chief Michael Ciminelli and Mayor Lovely Warren briefed the media at about 1:20 a.m. on Thursday at Rochester General Hospital.

"We lost one of our own," Ciminelli said, adding that the officer "made the ultimate sacrifice protecting the people of Rochester."

The suspect was also shot, presumably by police, and was in surgery at Strong Memorial Hospital early Thursday morning, Ciminelli said. Police sources identified him Thursday morning as Thomas Johnson III, a recent parolee who served time for robbery.

A bystander also was hit by gunfire, and suffered injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, he said.

Ciminelli said early Thursday that no additional suspects were outstanding. Police expect to be able to provide more information on Thursday.

The fatal encounter on Wednesday night took place in the area of Hudson Avenue and Warsaw Street. Several police agencies, including units from RPD, the New York State Police and Monroe County Sheriff's Office, converged on the scene.

The officer was transported to Rochester General Hospital.

Over the course of the next three hours, there was a steady flow of law enforcement vehicles into the RGH complex. Medical emergencies were diverted to other hospitals in the hours immediately following the shooting.

Warren asked that the community pray for the family of the slain officer, and also for the police department.

"A family has lost a loved one, RPD lost a family member and Rochester lost someone who put his life on the line for us everyday," she said.

City Councilor Adam McFadden was at the scene near the corner of Hudson Avenue and Durnan Street Thursday morning.

"Outrage. Outrage. That's it. One word," he said. "Probably one of the toughest things that I've had to show up to and I've been to a lot of things."

McFadden said one thing that struck him Thursday morning was all of the young children getting up to to school and seeing the crime scene.

"I just thought to myself, for a young person, waking up and going to school this morning, this is what they see and they'll learn about this," he said. "It is up to us to make sure that we guide these young people and help them understand that they must value life."

An RPD officer hadn't been killed by gunfire in the line of duty in 55 years. Patrolman Harold V. Shaw interrupted a burglary on Ambrose Street at around 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 11, 1959, and was shot. Shaw, 36, was the father of two.

This is the fifth time in six years that an RPD officer has been shot while on duty.

Sgt. Flamur Zenelovic was shot on June 24, 2013, after a high-speed chase following the fatal shooting of two city men. Ralph Strong was sentenced to life in prison for the shootings on Tuesday.

Officers Daniel Brochu and Luca Martini were shot on Dec. 1, 2009, after responding to The Pierpont, 265 Driving Park Ave. The gunman, Nixon Elian, and his accomplice, Marquis Parker, were sentenced to 71 and 60 years in prison, respectively.

Officer Anthony DiPonzio was 23 when he was shot in the back of the head after he and two other officers had responded to a complaint of drug activity on Dayton Street on Jan. 31, 2009. Tyquan Rivera, 14 at the time of the shooting, was convicted of first-degree assault and attempted second-degree murder. Because he was a juvenile, he was sentenced to 31/3 to 10 years.

Dozens of police officers packed into the auditorium at Rochester General Hospital at the news conference with Ciminelli and Warren. DiPonzio, who returned to work in 2011, was among those in the crowd.

There were many hugs, and tears, among officers in the hallways of Rochester General Hospital after the news conference.

Many in the city grieved along with them.

"The City Council would like to offer our sincere condolences to the family of the RPD officer that was killed this evening while on duty," City Council President Loretta C. Scott said in a statement. "Our community owes a debt of gratitude to this officer who ultimately gave his life protecting and serving our city.

"We ask that you keep the officer's family, and the officers of the RPD in your thoughts and prayers as they, and our community as a whole, mourn this tragic loss," Scott said.

In a Tweet, Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks said she joins 'our community in grieving for the @RochesterNYPD Officer lost in the line of duty. An unthinkable tragedy.'

Gary McLendon, Will Cleveland and Tee Yee contributed to this story.