Man sentenced in 2023 fatal drive-by shooting on North Union Street

Victoria E. Freile, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·2 min read

A Rochester man on Tuesday was sentenced for his role in a drive-by shooting last summer that killed a man sitting on his front porch.

Teodoro Rivera Jr., 27, in March pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon in connection to the July 11, 2023 shooting death of Sayyos Rios, 40, at the corner of North Union and Weld streets, according to the Monroe County District Attorney's Office. He was sentenced to 18 years to life in state prison by Monroe County Court Judge Douglas Randall.

Rios was sitting on the porch of his North Union Street residence and a 19-year-old man was standing nearby on the sidewalk when a stolen vehicle drove by and someone fired multiple shots at the younger man, inadvertently striking Rios in the head as he sat on the porch around 7:45 p.m., said Capt. Frank Umbrino of the Rochester Police Department. The two men were not friends, according to police.

Rios was taken to Strong Memorial, where he died from his injuries, Umbrino said. The 19-year-old man, who was shot multiple times in his upper and lower body, was taken by private vehicle to Rochester General Hospital and arrived shortly after the initial 911 call, Umbrino said. He was treated and released.

Umbrino said that Rios, a father, was well-known and well-loved amongst neighbors.

“The shooting death of Sayyos Rios was nothing but a senseless murder,” Assistant District Attorney Anthony Freeman, who prosecuted the case, said in a news release. “While I am pleased that Teodoro Rivera, Jr. admitted to shooting and killing Sayyos Rios, nothing can bring back the life he stole."

Rios, a father who was known as a "friend to all," "did not deserve to be killed in the defendant’s reckless and brazen gunfire," Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley said in a news release. "It is our hope that the loved ones of Sayyos Rios can find justice in (Tuesday's) life sentence."

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Man sentenced in 2023 fatal drive-by shooting on North Union Street