Police: Drug ring, gang rivalry brought Vickers to Rochester

Rochester, N.Y. — Out-of-town gang members, weapons and drugs were all tied to the murder of Rochester Police Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz and two others over the summer.

"I think if we did not make these arrests, the homicide rate would be higher than it would have been,” Rochester Police Captain Frank Umbrino said during a press conference Tuesday.

According to police and a federal indictment, Vickers was brought from Boston to Rochester to retaliate against a rival gang.

Vickers and four others are accused in a string of shootings, arson and drug sales as part of a large-scale marijuana distribution network — which police said was a major factor in Rochester’s violent summer.

The network, which police said was run by Brandon Washington, throughout the months of June and July, including the execution of several search warrants at locations on the city's north side.

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It started June 14, when police seized 48 pound of marijuana and $8,000 from a home on St. Paul Street — one of the many locations where police say Rochester gang member Brandon Washington and several others bought marijuana.

“All the search warrants we have executed, in total, we executed in this investigation, 18 search warrants,” Umbrino said. “I don’t think we found as much as a dime bag of cocaine or fentanyl. It was all marijuana. That’s what these guys were selling.”

Police said the network was involved in numerous shootings and arson-related incidents throughout June and July.

Umbrino said Washington recruited gang members from other cities — including Vickers, who allegedly shot and killed Richard Collinge Jr. and MyJel Rand at North Clinton Avenue and Rauber Street on July 20 and Mazurkiewicz July 21

“They certainly warranted all the violence that was occurring within the 24-48 hours on the 21st,” Umbrino said. “I think there were certainly more people that were going to get shot, more people that were going to die, more houses that were going to burn.”

That shooting led Mazurkiewicz and Officer Sino Seng to Bauman Street the next night. A vehicle linked to the shooting was seen at a home on Laser Street.

While the Mazurkiewicz and Seng sat in an unmarked van on nearby Bauman Street, police said Vickers fired 17 rounds — killing Mazurkiewicz and injuring Seng and a 15-year-old girl.

Investigators determined that Vickers, Deadrick Fulwiley and Raheim Robinson were on the porch at the Laser Street address, armed with handguns, when Vickers left to shoot the officers.

“Officer Maz and Officer Seng did not have to be down on Bauman Street that day,” Umbrino said. “It was later on in their shift; they did not have much time left. They and other members of the tactical unit offered to go down there in an attempt to intervene and to gather information to further the investigation of the murder on Clinton Avenue.”

Vickers, Fulwiley and Robinson are all charged with murder, attempted murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon for the fatal shooting at North Clinton Avenue and Rauber Street — as well as arson for another incident July 20.

Vickers is charged with murder, aggravated murder, attempted murder, aggravated attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon for the fatal shooting on Bauman Street.

Fulwiley is charged with criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of marijuana following a search at a home on Laser Street. Derrick Steele and Brittney Hughes are also charged with criminal possession of marijuana.

Priest Barr is charged with criminal possession of marijuana following two search warrants executed on St. Paul Street.

As part of the long-term investigation, 18 people have been arrested. Police seized 22 guns and 139 pounds of marijuana.