Gates police have identified the man fatally shot over the weekend at the Wegmans warehouse on Brooks Avenue in Gates, New York, and announced that he was shot by a fellow Wegmans employee.
Victim shot multiple times inside Wegmans distribution center
J’Mere Ridley-Smith, 25, of Rochester was shot and killed around 4:15 p.m. Saturday, July 26, while working at the Wegmans distribution center located at 1500 Brooks Ave., according to Gates Police Chief Rob Long. Officers responded to reports of a shooting and arrived to find Ridley-Smith has been shot multiple times while working inside the facility. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Long said that Ridley-Smith was loading pallets within a cooler unit within the center when he was shot. Multiple 9mm casings were found at the scene, he said.
“It was a chaotic scene,” Long said at a July 28 news conference at the Gates Police Department, noting that numerous colleagues witnessed the fatal encounter.
Wegmans spokeswoman Deana Percassi described Ridley-Smith as “a valued member of our team” and that his death “leaves a void in our hearts.”
Suspect fled the scene, apprehended in Tennessee
The suspected shooter – also a Wegmans employee – fled the area before officers arrived, Long said.
Kyshonn Green, 32, of Gates, was apprehended by the United States Marshals Service in Knoxville, Tennessee without incident around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 27. He fled New York state right after the killing and was headed south, Long said. His planned destination was not immediately known, he said.
Marshals also recovered a loaded 9mm handgun when they took Green into custody, he said.
Green is expected to be extradited back to Gates to be arraigned, Long said. The timeline was not immediately available. Long said it was not clear whether he would be charged with first-degree or second-degree murder in connection with his co-worker’s death. Charges will be determined after police confer with the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office on the case.
Police are still working to determine what led to the shooting and how the events unfolded. Green, Long said, was not previously known by Gates police officers.
Second warehouse homicide in days
The fatal shooting marks Gates’ second homicide of 2025, both occurring at warehouse facilities within a span of days.
On July 24, Markis Ortiz-Harris, 24, of Rochester, was shot and killed while sitting in his car in the parking lot of the Amazon fulfillment center on Manitou Road. Ortiz-Harris was waiting for his shift to begin when someone approached and opened fire. That suspect also fled the scene before police arrived.
Police: Shootings not connected
While both victims were employees at large distribution centers, police said there is no indication that the two homicides are related.
Ongoing investigation
No arrests have been made in connection the Manitou Road homicide. Gates police are continuing their investigation and ask anyone with information to call 911 or Gates Police at (585) 247-2262.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Wegmans employee identified in fatal warehouse shooting: Co-worker arrested in Tennessee
Reporting by Victoria E. Freile, New York Connect Team / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
