Rochester Police have made an arrest in connection with a fatal stabbing at the House of Mercy.
RPD has charged 40-year-old Nathaniel Jeanpierre III with 2nd degree murder and attempted murder in the 2nd degree.
He is accused in the stabbing death of 68-year-old Michael Nairy on Sunday night, who was pronounced dead at the scene from multiple stab wounds. A second victim, a 20-year-old man suffered from what police described as serious but non-life threatening injuries and remains hospitalized.
It’s alleged that in an unprovoked attack, Jeanpierre used a large knife and attacked both victims while they were lying in their beds. The two victims and the suspect are all residents of the House of Mercy which provides shelter and other services.
The House of Mercy released a statement Monday saying that it will close until further notice in cooperation with the ongoing investigation.
The shelter has a 76-bed capacity, and officials said that they are working with county and state organizations and other social service organizations in the area to get some rapid re-housing for those individuals who are currently not able to stay there.
A spokesperson for the House of Mercy, Bolan Graham, said that, “We’re just trying to keep our head above water right now. We have the staff working as best they can to deal with the situation on the ground here. We do have trauma counseling available for our staff and volunteers.”
The statement from the House of Mercy said that there is no danger to current guests or staff, and that they are committed to providing a safe space for the homeless. The shelter said that it is working with state and local officials to conduct a security review.
One of the other major local shelters for the homeless in the area, Open Door Mission is among the organizations trying to assist displaced residents from the House of Mercy.
Open Door Mission CEO Anna Valeria-Iseman said that her organization has been in touch with staff at the House of Mercy, and has offered assistance with beds as well as food. She said Open Door has added staff in anticipation of bed placements.
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello said that the county is trying to find temporary space for House of Mercy residents to stay at, including looking at a location near Martin Luther King Jr. park:
“The goal here is, it needs to make sure it’s safe,” said Bello. “We need to make sure that people have the proper services available to them that they need and that’s why our mental health teams, our FIT teams over there, our department of human services is on site as well.”
Bello said the county will also be taking a look at the security set up at the House of Mercy.
