In the early hours of May 26, 2023, the life of 22-year-old Roje Lowry was tragically cut short in a fatal shooting. The incident occurred on the ninth floor of the James Dobson apartments, a high-rise building located at 150 Van Auker Street in Rochester, New York. Emergency responders discovered Lowry in a hallway and transported him to the University of Rochester Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The Rochester police, in conjunction with U.S.
Marshals, launched an investigation into the homicide. Their efforts led them to identify 22-year-old Joshua Rodriguez as a suspect. Investigators determined that Rodriguez and Lowry were acquaintances, though a specific motive for the shooting was not publicly disclosed. On June 6, 2023, eleven days after the shooting, authorities arrested Rodriguez as he was leaving a residence on the city's east side.
Rodriguez was subsequently charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. At his arraignment in Rochester City Court, he entered a plea of not guilty. However, in October 2023, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter. In December of that year, he was sentenced to 24 years in prison for the killing of Roje Lowry. His sentence also includes five years of post-supervised release.
