Solution to Hawley Street ‘nuisance house’ may be near; Man shot there wants help for surgery

Solution to ‘nuisance house’ may be near

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ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A Rochester man shot at a house party on New Year’s Day is speaking out.

There have been ongoing issues involving the home on Hawley Street where this happened. As News10NBC has reported, neighbors have complained about late-night parties and gun violence.

Now, it looks like there could be a solution.

An agreement reached Thursday by the City of Rochester and the property owner, Providence Housing, could fast-track the eviction process for whomever is occupying the home where Jomaine Johnson was shot.

“It was just like pushing, a little shove match, and then all of a sudden shots were fired,” Johnson said. He added: “Bro, I think I’m shot. I just go in panic mode, and he drives me to Highland Hospital.”

Johnson was at a New Year’s Day house party at 336 Hawley St. when he was shot.

“Like, the bullet didn’t leave me. So there is no exit wound. They cut off all my clothes looking for an exit wound, looking for any bullets inside of me,” Johnson said.

Johnson was shot in the backside, where the bullet remains to his day.

The city filed a nuisance suit after the shooting.

Mark Greisberger is the executive director of Providence Housing, a nonprofit housing developer affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester, which owns the home.

“We have worked collaboratively with the city to come up with a court order that will remove this, these people, whoever is living in this house, from the property very quickly. Much more quickly than what a city court eviction would have resulted in,” Greisberger said.

Greisberger says that the original tenant handed the keys over to a stranger, who began using the house for parties.

“It all kind of crescendoed on New Year’s Eve when there was a fairly large party where apparently there were shots that were fired,” he said.

That’s why Greisberger hopes the agreement reached with the city Thursday will be enforced.

“We need to get back control of our property so that the nuisance that has been going on stops. How do you stop the nuisance if you don’t get the person that’s been causing the nuisance to leave?” he said.

As for Johnson, all he says he can hope for is help and money to pay for surgery.

“It’s like $100,000. But they told me basically six weeks, that’s how long it takes it to heal. So basically basically I’m waiting, I’m waiting it out to see if i can get this bullet removed,” he said.

City officials Thursday confirmed an agreement was filed Thursday in court between Rochester and Providence Housing, but said a judge’s signature is needed before it can be enforced.