A shooting in an upstate New York Walmart parking lot shortly after midnight Monday has left one dead and three injured, authorities said.
Rochester Police Capt. Frank Umbrino stated that the parking lot was crowded with hundreds of people when shots rang out at around 12:50 a.m. Monday, according to WHAM. First responders transported four victims to the hospital where one, an 18-year-old male, succumbed to his wounds, Fox News reported.
Two of the three injured, a 23-year-old male and 15-year-old female, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, WHAM reported. However, Umbrino added the third injured, a 43-year-old man, sustained more serious injuries.
A mass shooting occurred in Rochester New York in the Walmart parking lot on Hudson Avenue. This happened shortly before 1 A.M and police are still on scene with multiple victims at the hospital. multiple police agencies are also involved and I will continue with updates. pic.twitter.com/touAfw013C
— Geoffery Rogers (@GeofferyRogers) June 28, 2021
The Walmart was closed at the time of the shooting, but hundreds of people with vehicles were still gathered in the parking lot in the middle of the night, and at some point, a fight broke out in the crowd. While it remains unclear to investigators whether the fight is directly linked to the shooting, shortly after the dispute, around 20 shots were fired from multiple firearms, according to WHEC.
“There was at least one fight that broke out,” Umbrino reportedly confirmed. “Simultaneous to that fight breaking out, there were multiple gunshots fired from multiple different weapons. It’s unknown if those gunshots were the result of the initial fight or if there was another altercation.” (RELATED: Police Release Intense Body Cam Footage Of San Jose Shooting)
Umbrino said that the shooting is, “another tragedy that we’re facing. Unfortunately we’ve had way too many of them,” according to WHEC. The death of the 18-year-old marked the 35th homicide in Rochester, New York, this year, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.
“At what point in a child’s life do they learn that it’s OK to shoot somebody or to harm somebody?” Umbrino said. He also encouraged members of the community to “know where your kids are. Their life may depend on it. Be a parent, be a role model, set a good example.”
“We have to teach these children that this behavior isn’t okay and wherever they’re seeing this behavior, that’s where the root cause of all this violence that we’re having is. Where are they learning this behavior is okay? Because it’s not,” Umbrino reportedly added.