Rochester police are still looking into an attempted armed robbery that ended in murder on the city's west side.


Police found 25-year-old Shalonda Simpson lying on the grass on Kirkland Road near Genesee Street early this Thursday morning. She died at the scene from a single gunshot wound. As police continue to interview potential witnesses, Simpson's family and friends can only ask why?


Simpson was walking in front of School 29 a little after 2:00 am Thursday. That's when police say someone shot her in the chest. All for what police believe she was carrying in her book bag.


"She was a wonderful beautiful person," said Simpson's former neighbor Joanne Davis.


Simpson was the kind of person who made a lasting impression. Davis was Simpson's neighbor for seven months. In that time they became friends.


"She kept you busy. She kept you laughing. She would tell you what's going on in the neighborhood and things like that. But she didn't bother nobody," Davis added.


Simpson and her family recently moved to the city's west side. It was near her new neighborhood where she became the victim of an apparent robbery.


"Someone was walking at 2:00 o'clock in the morning and had their personal belongings thrown out in the general vicinity. In other words, someone had gone though the belongings of the victim."


Neighbors say they heard one gun shot and a woman screaming. Simpson was found lying near the sidewalk in front of the school. She was pronounced dead at the scene.


"There are witnesses who may have seen, not the actual crime, but someone leaving the scene on a bike. Whether that person on the bike is responsible, we don't know."

Police are hopeful a school security camera will help identify those responsible. Rochester Police, Chief David Moore, would not confirm if anything was caught on tape. Those close to Simpson are also looking for answers. They hope someone is brought to justice.


"She was a good girl. She didn't deserve this. Whoever did this I hope they get caught," said Davis.



Friends say Simpson played the base in a local band and loved music. She leaves behind her twin sister, Shawanda, and her mother.