ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A western New York man is accused of fatally shooting a teen who was driving his wife’s stolen vehicle in June, authorities said.
Byron Bell, 37, of Rochester, was charged on Wednesday on felony counts of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a stolen weapon, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.
The charges are in connection with the June 27 shooting death of Ja’hod Snow, 18, Rochester Police Department Capt. Frank Umbrino said.
Ja'hod Snow was driving a stolen vehicle on Laser Street when he was shot to death on June 27. https://t.co/kWCPbJxkRD
— Democrat & Chronicle (@DandC) September 20, 2023
According to investigators, the owner of the stolen vehicle learned at 5:30 a.m. EDT on June 27 that the car was missing, WRIC-TV reported. Police said the vehicle had a GPS tracking device, which allowed Bell to track the vehicle to Laser Street in Rochester, according to the television station.
After locating the vehicle, Bell is accused of firing multiple gunshots at it, striking Snow at least once in the torso, the Democrat & Chronicle reported. The vehicle crashed into a pole.
Snow was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead a short time later, according to the newspaper.
Other people in the vehicle were not struck by gunfire and fled the scene, police said.
After the shooting in June, Umbrino said the issue was no longer a police problem WHAM-TV reported.
“You need to hold the parents accountable,” Umbrino said. “The criminal justice system, family court, they need to wake up and need to start doing something so we’re not sitting here at 6 o’clock in the morning with dead 17-, 18-year-old kids in stolen cars.”
Bell is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Thursday, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.