Convicted felon charged with murder of man in northeast Rochester

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Rochester Police have arrested the man they say fatally shot a city man Saturday morning.

Eric Leslie, 36, of Rochester has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Police say he shot Vernel Rose, 31, near the intersection of North Goodman Street and Pennsylvania Avenue around 8:30 a.m. Rose was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police believe Rose and Leslie were talking at the intersection before the shooting. They say as Rose turned his back to Leslie, Leslie whipped out a handgun and shot Rose in the head before leaving the scene in a vehicle.

Investigators don’t know if the pair knew each other.

Around 7:15 p.m., officers stopped the vehicle believed to be connected to the homicide on the Inner Loop near Clinton Avenue. Leslie was taken into custody. Police say they recovered a loaded .380 handgun, a loaded 9mm handgun, and over 130 individual vials of suspected cocaine, as well as packaging/scales used to sell cocaine.

He’s been charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He is not allowed to have a handgun because of seven prior misdemeanor and one felony conviction, according to police.

Leslie will be arraigned at 9:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 1 in Rochester City Court.