In the autumn of 2021, a young man's life was tragically cut short on a street in Rochester, New York. Christian Santiago, a 19-year-old male, was shot on Lamont Place on October 20, 2021. He succumbed to his injuries, becoming the city's 64th homicide victim of that year. The incident left his family, including his parents Jocabed Melendez and George Santiago, and numerous siblings, devastated.
The investigation into the shooting quickly focused on a suspect close to the family.
Nicholas DeLeon, the 36-year-old boyfriend of Christian's mother, was identified as the alleged perpetrator. Following the shooting, police attempted to stop a vehicle connected to the incident in which DeLeon was a passenger. During this attempt, DeLeon reportedly fired a gun at the officers on at least two occasions. The officers returned fire, and DeLeon was subsequently arrested without any injuries reported from the shootout.
In early November 2021, a Monroe County Grand Jury handed down an indictment against Nicholas DeLeon. He was formally charged with second-degree murder for the death of Christian Santiago. The indictment also included three counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and two counts of attempted aggravated murder of a police officer, stemming from the chase and shootout that led to his capture. Prior to the homicide, DeLeon had outstanding warrants for menacing, criminal mischief, and aggravated harassment.
