In the late hours of a September night in 2020, the life of Jarvis Rasheed Alexander, a promising 19-year-old male, was tragically cut short in Rochester, New York. A graduate of the University Preparatory Charter School for Young Men, where he had excelled as a football player and a state champion in track, Alexander was attending Alfred University.
On September 19th, he was at a large outdoor party on Pennsylvania Avenue, with more than 100 people in attendance, when the festive atmosphere was shattered by the sound of gunfire.
In a sudden and chaotic eruption of violence, an unknown number of shooters opened fire into the crowd. When the shooting stopped, the scene was one of immense tragedy. Jarvis Rasheed Alexander and another 19-year-old, Jaquayla Young, had been fatally wounded. Fourteen other individuals suffered injuries in the melee. Law enforcement officials who responded to the scene believe that both Alexander and Young were innocent bystanders, not the intended targets of the violent attack that ended their lives. He was remembered by his coaches as a dedicated and positive young man who had overcome academic challenges and was a role model, particularly to his younger brother.
The Rochester Police Department immediately launched an investigation into the mass shooting. Despite the large number of potential witnesses present at the party, authorities have expressed challenges in gathering sufficient testimony, which has complicated the effort to identify those responsible for the gunfire. The community has been urged to come forward with any information that could lead to a breakthrough in the case. As of the most recent updates, the investigation remains ongoing, and no arrests have been announced in connection with the deaths of Jarvis Rasheed Alexander and Jaquayla Young. Their families and the wider Rochester community continue to await justice for the two young lives lost.
