In the early hours of a spring morning in Rochester, New York, the life of 18-year-old Shanye Mootry was tragically cut short. On May 29, 2023, the young Black female found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of a senseless shootout. She was sitting in a car in a parking lot behind the Anthony Jordan Health Center on Holland Street when gunfire erupted between two groups.
Shanye, who had been attending a large gathering that had moved to the location, was not involved in the altercation but was struck and killed by a stray bullet.
The investigation into the senseless violence that claimed Shanye's life led authorities to Naveair Stewart, who was 18 years old at the time of the incident. In a tragic and unrelated parallel, Stewart was also responsible for the death of another innocent bystander, 28-year-old Jevonte Huff, in a separate shooting that occurred just a few months later in August 2023. Following a thorough investigation by the Rochester Police Department, an indictment was unsealed, charging Stewart with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with Shanye's death.
In September 2024, Naveair Stewart, then 19, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree manslaughter for the deaths of both Shanye Mootry and Jevonte Huff. The plea agreement brought a conclusion to the legal proceedings, though it could never erase the pain of the families who had lost their loved ones. During the sentencing, the court acknowledged that both victims were unintended targets, their lives senselessly extinguished by Stewart's violent actions.
The culmination of the case saw Naveair Stewart sentenced to 40 years in prison, a term that reflects the gravity of his crimes. He will also serve five years of post-release supervision. The sentencing marked the end of a painful chapter for the families of Shanye Mootry and Jevonte Huff, but the memory of the two innocent lives lost continues to serve as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of gun violence on the community.
