A Rochester man was arrested and charged with gang assault of Latasha Shaw, a 36-year-old former employee of UR Dining Services. Shaw was fatally stabbed on Sept. 29, 2007 while breaking up a fight on the west side of the city.
Terrence Mack, 33, was charged with felony first-degree gang assault. Mack allegedly hit Shaw over the head with a bottle. He is not accused with Shaw’s murder.
Shaw was confronting a few women who had assaulted her daughter earlier in the day, at which point the confrontation escalated. Mack, an Elmira native, is in Monroe County Jail after pleading not guilty Wednesday morning. He is being held on $90,000 bond and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday. Mack was released in January 2007 after a two-year sentence on a felony drug charge in Chemung County.
The investigation has been in progress for a year, and the Rochester Police Department say it will continue.
Shaw’s murder occurred around the same time as several other murders and violent crimes in the area, sparking community outrage. Peaceful marches and protests at the scene of the crime, the corner of Dewey Avenue and Driving Park Avenue, spurred the $4.1 million Zero-Tolerance Initiative by the RPD.
This initiative largely covers overtime pay for police officers to patrol the city at night, with a specific focus on loitering and disorderly conduct.
Willis is a member of the class of 2011.
