Testimony: 2022 Schenectady fatal shooting captured on surveillance video

February 21, 2024

Updated: February 21, 2024

On Tuesday, a representative from⁤ the Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office took⁢ the ⁣stand to testify about the crucial surveillance footage that captured the tragic shooting of Treavine Tate on the night of May 30, 2022.

The accused, Anthony Romero, is currently on trial for the‍ murder ⁤of Tate,⁢ who ⁤was brutally gunned down on Hullett Street ⁤almost 20 months ago.⁣ Romero is also facing two charges of ‌criminal possession of‍ a weapon and one charge of tampering with evidence.

Richard Voris, who manages the Schenectady‍ County Camera Project, testified about the role of the approximately 200 cameras that are strategically ⁤placed around the city of Schenectady. These cameras, monitored from Voris’ office at the Schenectady Police Department, provide ⁤live feeds and recorded footage that can be⁢ used to aid law‍ enforcement, as was the ⁣case in⁢ the investigation of Romero.

“Upon being‍ informed of the homicide that had ⁢occurred on ⁢Hullett Street ⁢the previous night, I was tasked with ⁣gathering any relevant information or evidence from the surveillance footage,” Voris explained.

He began his investigation by reviewing footage from cameras located near the crime⁢ scene at the ‌intersection of State and Hullett streets around⁣ 11:30 p.m.

“I was⁤ able ‌to witness the incident as⁢ it ⁢happened,” ‌Voris stated. ⁤“From there,⁣ I was⁢ able to track the suspect’s movements.”

Voris followed Romero for two blocks‍ and‌ was ⁤able to pick up his trail again on Crane Street. He⁣ then used the surveillance videos to create a map for the case.

Dr. Bernard Ng, a ⁢pathologist with the Schenectady⁢ County Medical Examiner’s Office, was also questioned. He conducted the autopsy on Tate.

“Mr. Tate had multiple injuries on his body that ‍were consistent‌ with gunshot‌ wounds,” Ng informed Schenectady County Assistant District Attorney Mike Nobles. “These wounds appeared to have been inflicted from various directions.”

Tate was shot four times, ⁤according to Ng. The jury was shown photos ⁣and X-ray images of Tate’s body, highlighting his internal ‌and external injuries. Ng stated that the fatal wound was a bullet that entered the right side of Tate’s ⁤chest, piercing his right lung, heart, and left lung.

Ng explained that this injury would have ⁢caused⁣ severe ‍bleeding, blood loss, and incapacitation. The heart would have stopped functioning, ‍leading to a loss of brain function and death within approximately four minutes.

“He died from a massive hemorrhage,” Ng said, ‌“caused by‌ a bullet that perforated his‍ heart and lungs.”

Tate’s death was ruled a homicide‍ as the trajectory of the bullet could not⁣ have been self-inflicted, according to ⁤Ng. The ⁤number of gunshot wounds also⁣ suggested that Tate could not have shot himself.

Ng further explained‍ that ⁣an adult typically has about six liters of blood circulating in their body. However, during Tate’s autopsy, ⁢two liters of blood were found in his chest cavity and another liter in his abdominal cavity. A person would⁣ not⁤ survive for long with half ⁢of their ⁢blood ⁣no longer ‌circulating, he ⁣added.

When questioned by Romero’s ‍defense attorney, Kyle⁣ Davis, Ng ⁣confirmed that‍ none of the other⁤ three ‍bullets that hit Tate,⁣ apart from the fatal chest bullet, had ⁣struck any other vital organs.

“That single ⁣shot alone would have been fatal,” Ng confirmed.

Romero‍ is due to appear in Schenectady ‌County Court again on⁣ Wednesday afternoon. The trial is expected to be handed over to the⁢ jury for deliberation later this week.

Romero ⁤rejected a plea deal last month. If he had accepted the deal, he would have been sentenced to an indeterminate‌ 20 years-to-life ‍imprisonment. If the jury⁢ finds Romero ⁢guilty of the second-degree murder ⁤charge, his sentence could range from 15 years to life to 25 years to life.