In the early morning hours of a summer day in Rochester, New York, a dispute escalated into deadly violence, leaving two men dead and a community searching for answers. The life of 40-year-old Ervin Wiggins, a male resident of the city, was cut short on July 16, 2023, in a chaotic scene that unfolded outside a lounge on North Street.
The incident, which took place at approximately 1:45 a.m. near the S & T Lounge, is believed by investigators to have stemmed from a dispute over a female.
In the midst of a large crowd that was leaving the bar, gunfire erupted. According to police, Wiggins was involved in an altercation that led to him firing multiple shots at 45-year-old Porter Mizell. Mizell was struck by the gunfire and was later found in a nearby parking lot; he was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
In the immediate aftermath of the initial shooting, the situation took another tragic turn. Investigators determined that another individual, 42-year-old Dennis Speed, was present at the scene. Police allege that Speed, in response to the shooting of Mizell, produced an illegally possessed nine-millimeter handgun and fired multiple shots at Wiggins. Ervin Wiggins was found by responding officers in the middle of the street and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A month after the deadly encounter, the U.S. Marshals Violent Felony Task Force apprehended Dennis Speed in Rochester. He was initially charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. Following his arraignment, Speed was released from custody and was scheduled to reappear in court, with the possibility of additional charges being filed.
During a subsequent court appearance, Speed's attorney argued that his client's actions were not born of malice, but rather as a response to an active threat. The defense claimed that Speed acted to protect others from an assailant, suggesting that Ervin Wiggins was the aggressor in the situation. This line of defense was offered to explain the absence of initial murder charges against Speed. The investigation into the double homicide continued, as authorities sought to piece together the precise sequence of events that led to the tragic deaths of two men. Police appealed to the dozens of people who were in the area at the time of the shooting to come forward with any information or video evidence that could aid in their investigation.
