Man pleads guilty in deadly shooting of Rochester youth football coach

A Rochester man on Monday admitted that he fatally shot a father and youth football coach last summer.

Brandon Hall, 28, of Rochester on Monday pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, a felony, for the Aug. 20, 2023 shooting death of Alec Rouse, 31, of Rochester, on North Plymouth Avenue, according to the Monroe County District Attorney's Office.

Rouse was a father of three and a football coach to the Upstate Junior Predators in Rochester.

The shooting occurred around 3:30 a.m. at North Plymouth Avenue and Ambrose Street. Responding officers found Rouse lying in the street after he was shot at least once in his torso, according to Rochester police. Rouse was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he died.

Rochester police said the two men were involved in an argument and that Rouse was fatally shot when the argument escalated. The men knew one another.

Assistant District Attorney Gregory Clark described the fatal encounter as a "senseless" and "heartless" crime that followed "an argument that spiraled out of control." Rouse's death, he said, "The victim’s death "was completely avoidable and unnecessary."

“Alec Rouse was a father, a coach, and a well-loved member of our community,” Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley said in a news release. “Brandon Hall made the choice in the heat of an argument to pull an illegal firearm on Alec, instead of having a rational conversation. Now, Alec’s children will never see him again and Brandon Hall will spend the next two decades incarcerated."

Hall is set to be sentenced to 20 years in state prison and five years post-release supervision, according to the DA's Office. He is scheduled to be sentenced by state Supreme Court Justice Victoria Argento on Aug. 8.