Massive Fight Breaks Out In Western New York Courtroom

During a murder trial, emotions are bound to be running high, especially when the friends and family of the victim come face to face with the person accused of killing their loved ones for the first time. 

Over the weekend, during an arraignment in Western New York, those emotions spilled over into a wild courtroom scene that led to two additional arrests. 

In the early hours of May 6th, 43-year-old Timothy Chealey and 46-year-old Shatina Jones were shot and killed. Police say following an altercation at a large concert at Rochester’s Blue Cross Arena, a group involved in the incident were hanging out on Rialto Street in the city of Rochester when a gunman opened fire, killing the two victims with “an excess of a dozen gunshots.”

Following a weeks-long search, the suspect, 23-year-old Jermaine Williams, was finally located by U.S. Marshalls in Niagara Falls this past Friday and taken into police custody. He appeared in Rochester City Court on Saturday morning, where he pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree murder.

The judge ordered Williams to Monroe County Jail with no bail, and will appear in court on Wednesday to potentially face more charges from a grand jury. 

Massive Fight Breaks Out In Courtroom In Rochester, New York

As Williams was being led out of his arraignment, all hell broke loose. 

According to witnesses, a large fight suddenly broke out in the courtroom, which some sources say involved more than 20 people and lasted approximately 45 seconds as deputies scrambled to break up the mess. 

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The fight is believed to have been between members of the victims’ and suspect’s families. Authorities ended up having to subdue two involved in the incident with pepper spray, and leading two to be charged with disorderly conduct. 
A reporter from Rochester’s 13 WHAM, who witnessed the altercation, said the video of the ordeal will not be released to the public.