Father of man slain 11 years ago: 'I don't want him to be forgotten'

Rochester, N.Y. — A father has traveled hundreds of miles to a Rochester neighborhood for an anniversary he will mark on Sunday.

It's the 11th time he has made the trip.

Each time, Paul Vasconcellos hopes for a breakthrough that will make it the last.

The call came in the middle of the night to his Massachusetts home. His son, here in Rochester, was involved in a homicide.

What he learned next changed everything.

“It was a tough call. We were in bed. It was 2 in the morning," Vasconcellos said.

On Oct. 24th, Paul Vasconcellos II called 911 to report a shooting on Post Avenue - and that he was the victim. He died later that night.

“It went right through there - right into the house," his father explained.

“The drain pipe: right there is a mark on the middle of it. A little hole.”

The younger Vasconcellos, known as Paulie, left his family, including five brothers and sisters, to attend the Rochester Institute of Technology. He did not return to his home state. Instead, he found family in church - and a ministry focused on young people who were incarcerated.

“He was so giving to everybody," his dad recalled. "I used to get mad at him. He was so nice.”

This year, as he has for the past 10, the senior Vasconcellos returned to Rochester.

He's a father on a desperate mission and there are remnants and reminders he's been here before.

“This is a frozen case. It’s not a cold case. It’s a frozen case," he said.

Yet here's here because he's convinced someone in this neighborhood - someone in Rochester - knows something.

“Just do it. Just do the right thing now. That’s what we’re praying for. I don’t want him to be forgotten. He was too good a guy," Vasconcellos said.

He will remain hopeful, on his 8-hour drive, that his efforts this time will lead to a break in the case.

Rochester Police say the investigation is open and active.

Crime Stoppers tells us, "Mr. Vasconcellos and this heartbreaking crime are well known to all of us at Crime Stoppers. We have met with him many times over the years."

They also want to remind people that they continue to offer a significant reward for information that leads to an arrest.

Anyone with information is asked to call the anonymous tip line at 423-9300 or use the free P3 App.