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Rochester student Cahj’miere Robinson killed in shooting outside rec center

Rochester City School District leaders are mourning the first student victim of a fatal shooting since the school year began last week.

Cahj’miere Robinson, 17, was shot outside of a city R-center on Webster Avenue at about 2 a.m. Sunday. A district spokesperson said he had attended Franklin High School.

A 16-year-old boy also was injured in the shooting.

According to Rochester police, both boys had been hanging out with friends in a park next to the Thomas P. Ryan Recreation Center when the suspect approached them. Police say it is an active investigation.

“It’s a cycle of heartbreak, a cycle of trauma,” said city Board of Education Commissioner Camille Simmons. “Somebody else just lost their child who will no longer be able to realize their full potential and figure out who it is they would be in this world.”

Simmons said it’s scary to see student after student killed. She said she worries about the impact that has on their classmates and the community at large.

“Early prevention and intervention is key,” she said. “I mean getting to our students well before high school. We need to be making sure that we’re teaching them conflict resolution, that we’re addressing issues. We can’t do too much about what happens out in our community, but as far as education, those are things we can do in our buildings.”

Interim Superintendent Carmine Peluso said in a statement that he is “incredibly saddened” to start the school year mourning Cahj’miere’s death.

“I was Cahj’miere’s principal when he attended School 34,” Peluso said in a statement. “I extend my sincerest condolences to his family and friends. Our Trauma, Illness, and Grief team is at the school to assist our students and staff.”

Cahj’miere is the eighth teenager killed by a firearm in the city since January, according to Rochester police data. All of those cases are still open investigations, except for one.

Noelle E. C. Evans is WXXI's Murrow Award-winning Education reporter/producer.