In the summer of 2018, the city of Rochester, New York, was struck by a tragedy that would visit the same family twice in a matter of months. On June 9, 2018, Amos Harring Jr., a 23-year-old male, was inside a home on Skuse Street when his life was cut short by gunfire. The incident stemmed from a dispute that another man, 27-year-old Derrell Davis, had with an individual outside the residence.
Davis had brought a loaded pistol to the scene to settle the argument, and in the ensuing confrontation, Amos Harring Jr. was fatally shot.
The Rochester Police Department investigated the shooting, which led to the arrest of Derrell Davis. He was charged with second-degree manslaughter and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. On August 29, 2018, Davis pleaded guilty to the charges. For the manslaughter charge, he was sentenced to 5 to 10 years in prison, and for the weapon possession charge, he received a concurrent sentence of 10 years. In addition to his prison term, Davis was also sentenced to five years of post-release supervision.
Just a few months after the death of his son, tragedy struck the Harring family again. On October 20, 2018, Amos Harring Sr., a 41-year-old male, was fatally shot in the forehead on Second Street in Rochester. The events leading to his death began earlier that day with a verbal altercation in a park between Harring, a friend, and a man named Jaquan Moore. During this initial dispute, Moore brandished a firearm and threatened Harring and his friend. Later that day, Moore encountered Harring again and the confrontation turned deadly.
A swift investigation by the Rochester Police Department led them to Chicago, Illinois, where Jaquan Moore was arrested just nine days after the shooting. Moore was charged with second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. His first trial ended in a hung jury, resulting in a mistrial. However, a subsequent trial found Moore guilty on all charges. On December 11, 2019, Jaquan Moore was sentenced to 23 years to life in state prison for the murder of Amos Harring Sr. He also received concurrent sentences for the weapons charges.
