In the late hours of a November night in 2021, a chaotic scene unfolded outside a lounge on West Avenue in Rochester, New York, that would tragically claim the life of an innocent bystander. Stephen Morgan, a 39-year-old male, found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time as he was attempting to leave the area in a car. Gunfire erupted in the parking lot, and as more than a dozen rounds were fired, a stray bullet struck Morgan, who died at the scene.
The investigation into the
shooting revealed a violent altercation that had little to do with Morgan himself. Authorities identified 42-year-old Corey Faison as the alleged instigator of the violence. Police determined that Faison had intentionally shot and wounded another man in the parking lot. It was during this initial assault that a bullet from Faison's gun tragically hit Morgan, who was merely trying to get away from the escalating danger. The first victim of the shooting suffered life-altering injuries.
In the wake of the incident, the family of Stephen Morgan expressed their grief and a small measure of solace in learning that he was not the intended target of the violence. They remembered him as a joyful person who would be deeply missed, finding comfort in their memories of his humor and work ethic. For them, the eventual arrest of a suspect marked a significant step towards justice in a city grappling with a high number of homicides that year.
Corey Faison was subsequently arrested and faced legal proceedings in connection with the shooting. He initially pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him. The case then moved through the criminal justice system, representing one of many instances of violence that plagued the Rochester community, leaving families like the Morgans to navigate the profound loss of a loved one to a senseless act.
