Trial of officer’s accused killer to restrict uniformed police presence

The number of uniformed officers allowed in a Monroe County court room will be limited during the upcoming trial of the man accused of fatally shooting a Rochester police officer last summer.

Based on an appellate decision, only 10 uniformed police officers will be allowed in the court room during proceedings, according to the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office. Additional police officers are welcome to attend, but cannot wear a police uniform inside the court room.

The decision is not a new ruling but follows a precedent set in 2017 to avoid future appeals.

Kelvin Vickers Jr. is accused of firing at least 16 shots into a police undercover van, killing Rochester Police Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz and injuring his partner, Sino Seng, as the two worked a plainclothes detail on the evening of July 21, 2022 on Bauman Street. Also injured in the attack was a 15-year-old girl who was inside the living room of her Bauman Street home when gunfire erupted.

Dozens of uniformed officers attended Vickers’ initial County Court arraignment last summer as well as his first court appearance last July in City Court.

Vickers is charged with aggravated murder, second-degree murder, attempted aggravated murder, attempted second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree assault and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, all felonies, in connection with the Bauman Street homicide.

Aggravated murder is different than intentional murder of a police officer; with the latter Vickers would have to have known the targets were law enforcement.

Vickers is also facing another 18-count felony indictment in connection with the July 20, 2022 triple shooting on North Clinton Avenue. Vickers and two others are accused of killing two men and injuring a third man.

In all, Vickers, Deadrick Fulwiley and Raheim Robinson, each face four counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted second-degree murder and first-degree reckless endangerment, and 12 counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the killings.

Vickers will face the charges in his upcoming trial, Fulwiley and Robinson will face those same charges during a jury trial at a later date.

Vickers’ trial, to be overseen by Monroe County Court Judge Julie Hahn, is set to begin next week and last roughly a month, according to the district attorney’s office.

A pretrial meeting is set for Tuesday afternoon.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Kelvin Vickers trial to restrict uniformed police presence