Johnny Blackshell Jr., 23, of Rochester, NY, is headed to federal prison for 147 months after pleading guilty to robbing a 7-Eleven at gunpoint just days before his deadly rampage outside the Boys & Girls Club of Rochester. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa, stems from a brazen daylight robbery on August 10, 2015, when Blackshell and co-defendant Joseph Lowry stormed the Lake Avenue convenience store, terrorized employees, and fled with cash, cigarettes, and lottery tickets.
Armed with a silver handgun, Blackshell vaulted over the service counter and pressed the weapon to a worker’s head, demanding the cash register be opened. Lowry snatched $80 in U.S. currency while both men looted tobacco, gum, and multiple rolls of New York State scratch-off lottery tickets. They bolted east on foot along Lake Avenue, later cashing in winning tickets and pocketing the proceeds—blood money that helped seal their fates.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas E. Gregory, who prosecuted the case, detailed how the robbery was not a crime of desperation but part of a pattern of violent, calculated behavior. The stolen lottery tickets were traced through redemption records, linking Blackshell directly to the proceeds. The investigation exposed a trail of greed and brutality that culminated in one of Rochester’s most notorious mass shootings just nine days later.
That shooting, on August 19, 2015, left three dead—Johnny Johnson, Raekwon Manigault, and Jonah Barley—outside the Boys & Girls Club. For those murders, Blackshell was already sentenced in state court to life without parole. The federal sentence ensures he will serve additional time for the Hobbs Act Robbery and for brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, even if he ever leaves state custody.
Joseph Lowry, the co-defendant in the 7-Eleven holdup, was previously convicted and sentenced to 128 months in prison. While his role was significant, prosecutors emphasized that Blackshell was the armed aggressor who escalated the robbery into a life-threatening encounter. The federal charges underscore the use of firearms in violent crimes that cross state lines or impact interstate commerce, such as robbing a business that sells nationally distributed goods.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), under Special Agent-in-Charge Ashan Benedict; the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Lyons; and the Rochester Police Department, led by Chief Michael Ciminelli. U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. reiterated that violent offenders who use guns will face relentless pursuit—and maximum penalties—under federal law.
Related Federal Cases
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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