An evening out at a Popeyes restaurant on East Ridge Road in Rochester, New York, turned fatal for 30-year-old Jose Centeno Torres on Friday, December 1, 2023. An argument involving three to four men escalated, leading to gunfire. Torres was shot multiple times in his upper body. He was transported to Rochester General Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the shooting, which police described as not a random act, spanned several months.
Relying on eyewitness statements and video surveillance from the restaurant, authorities were able to piece together the events of that night. Investigators determined that an argument preceded the shooting.
In March 2024, more than four months after the incident, police arrested 33-year-old Jose Laureano-Serrano of Rochester in connection with the death of Torres. However, after reviewing the evidence, authorities concluded that Laureano-Serrano was not the aggressor in the altercation. The investigation determined that he had acted in self-defense when he shot Torres.
Despite the finding of self-defense, Laureano-Serrano faced legal consequences. The handgun he used in the shooting was not legally owned by him. As a result, he was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon. The suspect in the initial altercation who prompted the self-defense action fled the scene and was still being sought by police.
