Jessica M. Beyers Romich, 47, was fatally shot on September 30, 2023 as she was leaving her business in the Town of Gates. Officers who responded to the parking lot on Pixley Industrial Parkway found her with a single gunshot wound; she was deceased on arrival. Romich owned Everdry Waterproofing in the Rochester area and had employed the suspect, giving him a chance despite his criminal history.

Gates Police identified 48-year-old former employee Malik Black, also known as Ernest Dunham, as the suspect. Prosecutors say Black drove to the business intending to confront Romich and demanded money; when she refused a loan he shot her. A grand jury indicted Black in October 2023 on first-degree murder and a weapons charge.

What details about the day or the people involved might help explain why this confrontation escalated to deadly violence?