Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Benjie Martinez
Age : 46
Gender : Male
Race : Native American
Date : 01/07/2022
Location : E Main Street
City : Rochester
County : Monroe
State : New York
Agency : Rochester Police Department
Officer(s) :Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Bystander killed by police chase
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
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REASON FOR CHASE: Bystander killed during pursuit of a driver Rochester police believed may have been involved in a shooting on Dewey Avenue.
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NARRATIVE:
On 01/07/2022, an unidentified man was killed in Rochester when his vehicle was struck by another vehicle during a high-speed Rochester Police Department pursuit. Contemporary reporting confirms that the fatal collision occurred during the police chase and that the person killed was in the other vehicle rather than the vehicle police were pursuing.
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Police said the driver they were pursuing may have been involved in a shooting on Dewey Avenue. During the pursuit, that driver's vehicle collided with another car, killing the male occupant of the second vehicle.
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The pursued driver survived the collision and was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital with injuries described as not life-threatening.
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The fatality was significant enough that Rochester Mayor Malik Evans discussed it publicly that same afternoon while describing the violence and deaths that had occurred during his first week as mayor. WXXI's January 7 contemporary report explicitly described the death as occurring when the man's car was struck during a high-speed police chase.
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