William Maddox

William Maddox was a man with a promising future he was actively building for himself. At 35 years old, he was enrolled at Monroe Community College, pursuing a career in nursing where he could help others. Those who knew him remembered his contagious laugh and warm personality. Known to some by the nickname "3 will 5 Pillz," William was a resident of Rochester, New York, a city that had been his home. His life, filled with potential and the pursuit of education, was cut tragically short just before the holidays in 2022.

In the cold, early hours of Tuesday, December 13, 2022, the sound of gunfire pierced the quiet of a north side Rochester neighborhood. Around 1:30 a.m., a ShotSpotter activation alerted the Rochester Police Department to multiple shots fired on Alphonse Street, a residential road located just west of Hudson Avenue. When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered a car that had been backed into the driveway of a vacant house. Inside, they found William Maddox in the driver's seat. He had been shot multiple times.

Emergency medical personnel were unable to render aid, and William was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators from the Rochester Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit began to piece together the final moments of his life. Their initial assessment suggested that William had been sitting in his parked car for an extended period of time. It was then, police believe, that an unknown suspect, or possibly multiple suspects, approached the vehicle on foot and fired numerous shots into the car, killing him before fleeing the scene.

The investigation immediately focused on the location of the crime. Police noted that the vacant house where William was found was known to be a site for illegal marijuana and narcotics sales. However, authorities were quick to state that a motive for William’s murder was not clear and remained unknown. They have not publicly released any information about whether William had any connection to the property or why he was parked in that specific driveway that night.

William’s death marked the 75th homicide in the city of Rochester in 2022, a grim statistic for a community grappling with a high rate of violence. In the days and weeks that followed, no suspects were publicly identified, and no arrests were made in connection with the shooting. The case fell to the city's homicide investigators, who were left with the difficult task of finding answers for a grieving family and community.

As of the latest public reports from December 2022, the investigation into the murder of William Maddox is ongoing and remains unsolved. Detectives are urging anyone who may have seen or heard something, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward. The Rochester Police Department has asked for the public’s help in bringing justice to William and his loved ones.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911, the Rochester Police Department's Major Crimes Unit at (585) 428-7158, or Crime Stoppers at (585) 423-9300. Tips can also be submitted by email to [email protected].