DA: Jury made right call convicting Kelvin Vickers

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Four weeks, 80 witnesses, and 1,000 pieces of evidence punctuated what’s been a nightmare for three Rochester families whose lives were marked by tragedy in July of 2022.

The families of Rochester Police Officer Tony Mazurkiewicz, Ricky Collinge, and Myjel Rand sat through graphic testimony recounting their loved ones’ murders – all while the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office worked to get them justice.

The successful prosecution of Kelvin Vickers on all counts came down to Friday afternoon. In order to convict on the charge of aggravated murder for Officer Mazurkiewicz’s death and the attempted aggravated murder charge for the wounding of Officer Sino Seng, prosecutors needed to convince the jury beyond a reasonable doubt that Vickers knew he was shooting at police.

And they did.

Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley said jurors made the right call.

“I want to thank them for their hard work, but I believed, and my team believed right from the very beginning, that we were able to prove this, that he knew or reasonably should have known, that officers Mazurkiewicz and Seng were police officers, and, again, I’m very pleased, and I thank the jury for their service,” she said.

But prosecutors know the victory won’t ease the pain felt by the families of the three men he killed.

“The nice thing about this is that both those families are now friends and grieving together,” First District Attorney Perry Duckles said. “It’s a shame they have to be in this position, forced into it, but this trial was about Officer Mazurkiewicz and Myjel Rand and Richard Collinge and I am glad that the jury came to a decision that was just for all of them.”

Vickers will be sentenced Dec. 7, 2023.