On the afternoon of August 23, 2025, 68-year-old Gilberto Morales-Cruz was riding his bicycle alone on Smith Street in Rochester, New York, when he was shot multiple times in what authorities described as a robbery involving two people. Officers found Morales-Cruz unresponsive near 435 Smith Street at about 4:30 PM; police and emergency medical personnel performed life-saving measures but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say the suspects were not known to Morales-Cruz before the encounter.

Major Crimes Homicide Detectives identified 18-year-old Yasir Hall and 16-year-old Javeon Lopes as suspects. On August 25, 2025, Rochester Police located the two near Child Street and Lyell Avenue; both fled on foot and were caught after brief chases. Each was found with a loaded handgun. A search warrant executed by a SWAT team recovered additional weapons, including another handgun and an MP5 rifle, and evidence tied to the homicide. Hall and Lopes were charged with Murder in the 2nd Degree, Robbery in the 1st Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2nd Degree; each also faces separate weapons charges for the handguns seized at arrest, and Hall faces an additional drug charge for fentanyl found on him.

If anyone saw activity on Smith Street around 4:30 PM on August 23 or has information about this robbery-homicide, please share tips with investigators.