Crime
Former Fall River man sentenced to prison on 26 charges in killing of police officer, two others
Rochester, NY- 22-year-old Kelvin Vickers, who was living in Fall River, MA before going to prison on a 2019 charge, was sentenced Thursday to life without parole for Aggravated Murder of a Police Officer, Murder in the 2nd Degree, Attempted Aggravated Murder of a Police Officer, two counts of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, Assault in the 2nd Degree, four counts of Murder in the 1st Degree, Reckless Endangerment in the 1st Degree, fourteen counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2nd Degree and Arson in the 4th Degree. Kelvin Vickers was convicted of the charges for the murder of Rochester Police Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz, the attempted murder of Rochester Police Officer Sino Seng, the murders of Richard Collinge and MyJel Rand, and various other felony acts committed between July 19 and July 21, 2022.
Over the course of four weeks late last year, a jury convicted Vickers after hearing evidence of his activity on July 19, July 20, and July 21, 2022. On the night of July 19, 2022, Rochester Police Officers arrived near North Clinton Avenue and Rauber Street for multiple gun shots in the area, including those that hit a house and vehicle.
Later that night, on July 20, 2022, at approximately 12:30 a.m., Richard Collinge, MyJel Rand, and Tireek Burden were gunned down in the City of Rochester in the same area near North Clinton Avenue and Rauber Street. Following the gunshots, Rochester Police Officers arrived on scene, where Richard Collinge was pronounced dead. MyJel Rand and the Tireek Burden were immediately transported to Strong Memorial Hospital, where MyJel died from his gunshot wounds. Tireek Burden survived his gunshot injuries.
Later in the early morning hours, a fire on Weyl Street in the City of Rochester was reported. A car was engulfed in flames, which began spreading to a nearby house. The Rochester Fire Department responded and put out the fire.
July 21, 2022, was the last night Rochester Police Officer Mazurkiewicz was alive and well. He, along with Rochester Police Officer Sino Seng, were undercover, staking out the area following the previous violent 48 hours. After driving by Laser Street multiple times, Kelvin Vickers was watching the van. The officers parked on Bauman Street, when Kelvin Vickers discreetly exited the porch on 55 Laser Street, ambushed and shot multiple rounds at Officer Mazurkiewicz and Officer Seng.
Rochester Police Officers, alongside other law enforcement agencies, immediately responded to the scene. Both men were rushed to nearby hospitals. Officer Seng recovered following immediate treatment at Rochester General Hospital. Following life saving measures at Strong Memorial Hospital, Officer Rochester Police Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz died from the gunshot wounds.
Immediately following the shooting, Rochester Police Officers secured the scene. Kelvin Vickers was located, and his DNA was found on the illegally possessed weapon responsible for killing Officer Mazurkiewicz. He was arrested for the murder.
As the investigation continued, the evidence showed that Kelvin Vickers was also responsible for the shooting on July 19, 2022, the murders of Richard Collinge, MyJel Rand on July 20, 2022, and attempted murder of the third victim, and were also responsible for the arson of the vehicle that same day. He was charged for the murders and surrounding events.
The case was prosecuted by District Attorney Sandra Doorley and First Assistant District Attorney Perry Duckles.
Doorley issued the following statement Thursday.
“This morning, Kelvin Vickers was sentenced to multiple Life Without the Possibility of Parole sentences to run consecutively. There are no words to describe Vickers other than evil. He killed Rochester NYPD Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz, Richard Collinge, and MyJel Rand. Vickers violently ambushed Officer Mazurkiewicz and Officer Sino Seng, whose life was as forever changed. The murder of Officer Mazurkiewicz left a massive void in the lives of his friends, family, and the entire Rochester NYPD. This criminal has no value for human life and spreads violence wherever he goes. May he never see a day outside the NYS Department of Corrections. Thank you to 1st ADA Perry Duckles for prosecuting this trial with me, it was truly one of the greatest privileges of my life.”
Vickers criminal history includes juvenile contacts for Assault and Battery on an Officer at the age of 12, burglary related offenses, strangulation with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon, and two separate possession of firearms offenses. As an adult, Vickers has been convicted of possessing an unlicensed firearm.
Vickers was arrested by Fall River Police on gun charges in 2019 and, according to NBC Rochester, had recently been released from prison on those charges before the murders took place.
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