Two plead guilty in drive-by shooting death on Dewey Ave.
Two Rochester men pleaded guilty Thursday in Monroe County Court for a drive-by shooting in Rochester's Maplewood neighborhood that killed a man on Dewey Avenue last year.
Keyvin Miller, now 19, and Kirsean Chatfield, now 27, each pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, a felony, in connection with the May 31, 2023 shooting death of Eric Martin, Jr., according to the Monroe County District Attorney's Office. Chatfield, also pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a felony.
Martin, 21, has just dropped a relative off at work in a small shopping plaza on Dewey Avenue, near Magee Street, when a passenger from a passing vehicle fired at least a dozen shots into the plaza, striking Martin, who was still in his vehicle, according to Rochester police. Martin, who was shot in the head, was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Police said that Martin was not the intended target. Martin "was truly an innocent person in the wrong place at the wrong time," Rochester Police Capt. Frank Umbrino said last year.
Authorities later identified Chatfield as the driver of the vehicle, which was stolen and was abandoned right after the homicide.
Less than an hour after Martin was shot, the pair fired from another stolen vehicle at a group of people standing on Parsells Avenue, Umbrino said. Two vehicles were struck by the bullets but no people were injured during the incident.
Police determined that the Parsells and Dewey Avenue incidents were linked.
“The violent and reckless actions from May 31, stole the life of Eric Martin, Jr., and risked the lives of many others who were in the area, living their lives,” said Assistant District Attorney Camille Ingino, who prosecuted the case. “While I am pleased that both Keyvin Miller and Kirsean Chatfield admitted to their roles in the death of Eric Martin, Jr., nothing can bring back the life they stole."
"Eric Martin, Jr. was sitting in his car, minding his own business, when two strangers killed him in a drive-by shooting,” Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley said in a news release. “He did not deserve to be killed by the defendants’ gunfire. Both Keyvin Miller and Kirsean Chatfield promoted chaos and violence that resulted in the death of an innocent man."
Miller and Chatfield are scheduled to be sentenced by Monroe County Court Judge Michael Dollinger in June. Miller is to be sentenced to 25 years in state prison on June 26 and Chatfield is set to be sentenced to 15 years on June 13.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Two plead guilty in drive-by shooting death on Dewey Ave. in Rochester NY
