On a spring day in Rochester, New York, the life of 23-year-old Dallas A. Cooper Jr. was cut short. On April 10, 2022, outside a Family Dollar in Goodman Plaza, a burst of gunfire shattered the afternoon calm. When Rochester Police Officers arrived at the scene, they found Dallas Cooper Jr. unresponsive, having sustained two gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Strong Memorial Hospital, but tragically, he was declared dead.
The brazen shooting took place while the store was open, with employees and customers inside, putting numerous lives at risk.
The investigation that followed was swift and thorough. It was discovered that another man, Joseph Serrano, had also been shot during the altercation, though his injuries were not life-threatening. After being released from the hospital, Serrano was arrested in connection with the murder of Dallas Cooper Jr. and for illegal weapon possession. It was reported that Cooper was a stranger to his assailant.
Joseph Serrano, who was 33 years old at the time of his sentencing, faced the consequences of his actions in a court of law. A jury convicted him of Murder in the Second Degree and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. On August 21, 2023, a New York State Supreme Court Justice sentenced Serrano to 25 years to life in the New York State Department of Corrections. The prosecution highlighted the reckless nature of the crime, with one of the shots even penetrating the glass of the Family Dollar. The District Attorney noted that the community was safer with Serrano incarcerated. For the family of Dallas Cooper Jr., the legal proceedings meant reliving the painful loss of their loved one, but the conviction and sentencing brought the assurance that his murderer would be held accountable.
