In the early hours of September 19, 2021, a chaotic scene unfolded on Driving Park Avenue in Rochester, New York, forever altering the lives of many. Amidst a large, unsanctioned party attended by nearly a hundred people in an empty building, gunfire erupted, leaving a trail of devastation. Jimmie Jones, a 35-year-old male, was tragically killed in the incident. The violence that erupted around 2:30 a.m.
also claimed the life of 23-year-old Sharif Clark and left two others wounded.
Emergency responders arrived to a scene of pandemonium, with crowds of people fleeing the area. Investigators determined that an individual approached an alley near the building and fired approximately 20 shots into a group gathered outside a side entrance. Jones was pronounced dead at the scene, while Clark succumbed to his injuries shortly after being transported to a nearby hospital. A man in his 30s sustained life-altering injuries, and a woman in her 20s was also shot multiple times but survived.
The investigation into the double homicide led authorities to 27-year-old John Gordon, who was on parole at the time of the shooting. Gordon was subsequently arrested and faced a series of serious charges, including two counts of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. His arrest brought to light his prior criminal history; he had been released from prison in May 2021 after serving a sentence for an attempted first-degree manslaughter conviction related to a fatal shooting in 2015.
The community was left to grapple with the senseless violence that cut short the lives of Jimmie Jones and Sharif Clark. The incident occurred on the one-year anniversary of another mass shooting in Rochester, further highlighting the persistent issue of gun violence in the city. The legal proceedings against John Gordon were closely followed as the case underscored the challenges of addressing violent crime and the complexities of the justice system.
