An investigation by the state Attorney General’s Office confirmed that an off-duty police officer was responsible for a murder-suicide outside of a home on Costar Street in Rochester last year.
Greece Police Department Officer Tiffany Gaston, 29, shot Angely Solis, 27, twice ― once each in the head and chest ― killing the woman on Nov. 14, 2022, according to a report released Thursday. Gaston also shot Angely’s sister, Deanette Solis, once before killing herself.
Deanette survived and was treated for a bullet graze to the top of her head and a split ear lobe, the report said.
The Office of Special Investigations, a unit within the AG’s office, is tasked with investigating every incident where police officers, on- or off-duty, may have contributed to the death of a civilian. Because Gaston took her own life, “there is no person left alive who could be prosecuted for (the death of Angely Solis),” OSI concluded.
What led to the murder-suicide on Costar Street?
According to the report, Angely Solis called her sister around 7 p.m. on Nov. 14. Deanette told investigators she could hear Angely arguing with Gaston, whom Deanette knew. A few minutes later, Angely called 911.
Deanette arrived at Angely’s home on Costar Street around 7:17 p.m., the report said. She told investigators she moved to get between Angely and Gaston when the officer pulled out a handgun and shot them each once. Dashboard camera footage collected from Deanette’s car showed Gaston fired the first rounds less than a minute after Deanette arrived.
Less than five seconds later, Gaston shot Angely again as she lay on the ground, killing her. Gaston then shot herself in the head, the report said.
A 9mm handgun recovered from the scene was registered as Gaston’s personal handgun, not her service weapon, the report said.
Gaston joined the Greece Police Department in September 2018 and was the first African American woman on the force.