An unknown shooter is on the run after firing into a dense crowd on North Clinton Avenue, killing a 14-year-old girl before vanishing into the night.
The trouble began late Friday evening near the intersection of North Clinton Avenue and Clifford Avenue. Dozens of people had gathered along the strip, eventually spilling into the roadway and stopping local traffic.
Rochester Police Chief David Smith had patrol units move into the area around 10:30 p.m. About twelve officers and several supervisors spent almost two hours trying to get control of the block.
Officers blared recorded warnings in English and Spanish from their patrol cars, telling people to disperse. But many in the crowd refused to move, lingering near the 1155 block of North Clinton Avenue as midnight passed.
At 12:25 a.m., someone pulled out a firearm near Morrill Street and started shooting. The sudden gunfire turned a routine crowd dispersal call into an active shooter emergency.
People ran in every direction, creating a bottleneck that kept emergency responders from quickly reaching the victim. Firefighters and AMR ambulance crews eventually navigated through the chaos alongside police officers.
On the ground, they found 14-year-old Zahnia Barr with gunshot wounds to her upper body, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say Zahnia was hit by mistake, and police are still asking anyone with information to come forward as the gunman remains at large.
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