In the late hours of a summer evening in Troy, New York, the life of 26-year-old Cesar Soriano was tragically cut short. On August 28, 2020, Soriano, a male, was fatally shot at the corner of Seventh and Glen avenues in the city's North Central neighborhood. The violence that erupted that night also claimed the life of his friend, 25-year-old Khalid Monroe, and left a third individual seriously wounded.
The shooting occurred just hours after a community block party had taken place in the
same area, an event attended by local residents, police, and firefighters, and described as peaceful. Shortly before 11 p.m., the celebration turned to tragedy in what was later described as a drive-by shooting. The sudden violence left the community in shock, with some residents initially mistaking the gunshots for fireworks. Soriano was a father to two young children, and his death, along with that of Monroe, who was a father of three, marked the eighth and ninth homicides in Troy that year.
In the years that have followed the deadly shooting, the investigation into the deaths of Cesar Soriano and Khalid Monroe has remained active, yet un-e-solved. As of the third anniversary of their deaths in August 2023, no arrests had been made in connection with the double homicide. The Troy Police Department has continued to appeal to the public for any information that might lead to a breakthrough in the case. The families of both victims have been left to grapple with their profound loss while still seeking justice for their loved ones, expressing the ongoing pain and difficulty of not having any answers as to who was responsible for the senseless act of violence that took the lives of the two young fathers.
