310 Kellogg Street, Syracuse
SYRACUSE -- Syracuse Police have arrested a Rochester man in connection with a gunfight Sunday which killed one person and wounded three others. Charged with murder and attempted murder is 26-year-old David Acevedo-Mateo. The suspect was arrested near his home in Rochester by Rochester police and U.S. Marshals.
Syracuse Police Chief Gary Miguel says Mateo confessed to the crime claiming it resulted from an on-going feud over drug sales with 15-year-old Jamar Rolfe of Syracuse. Rolfe died Thursday after a shootout early Sunday at 310 Kellogg Street in Syracuse.
Rolfe was among 70 to 100 people attending an after hours party at the apartment building at which alcohol was sold to people as young as 12 years old. Also wounded in the gunfight are 16-year-old Ismaeliz Pizzaro-Quinones who remains in critical condition, 16-year-old Carlos Rivera who is in fair condition, and a 32-year-old man who suffered a minor leg wound.
Chief Miguel says the investigation is ongoing into whether others may have been involved in the shootings. He says police have recovered a number of shell casings.
Miguel says party goers told police the shooter was known by the nickname of "Bemba" which means "big lips" in Spanish. With the help of the U.S. Marshal's service, authorities were able to track Mateo to his home in Rochester.
David Acevedo-Mateo was arraigned Friday morning in Syracuse City Court. He is now being held without bail.
At a news conference, Miguel said the investigation was hampered by a language barrier and a lack of cooperation by witnesses. Miguel says he will be meeting with Syracuse Common Council President Bea Gonzales and the Spanish Action League next week to find ways to improve relations and cooperation with the hispanic community.
Miguel also pointed out that in 2008, Syracuse Police arrested 13,477 people on 21,822 charges including nearly 4,000 felonies. He says many are repeat offenders or charged with multiple crimes. Miguel says last year police confiscated 240 firearms including 147 handguns. The chief confirmed that criminals are stashing "community guns". He says these are guns that are hidden in various locations in the city known to a number of criminals.
