The Justice Report is a reader supported publication. Support our work by becoming a paid subscriber or making a one-time donation.
Lyons, New York — The tight-knit community of Lyons was terrorized by gunshots that left a White family man dead. A Black man has since been charged and arrested on murder and weapons charges in connection to the crime.
Lyons, a small town in upstate New York situated halfway between Rochester and Syracuse, is home to 3,594 people with 74.3% of the population being non-Hispanic White according to DataUSA.
The shooting sparked panic among many in the area, including families watching their children play baseball less than a mile from the Maple Street apartment building where it occurred. One parent, attending her child’s Little League game nearby, shared her experience with News10NBC after the game was abruptly halted.
“We were about the third inning in when the director of the program told the coaches inside to get all the players into the dugout. There was a police situation,” Graf recalled. “Then, I don’t even think it was a whole maybe minute, minute and a half later. The director then said, ‘We need to get the kids out of here.’ And we were evacuated from the field immediately.”
At the time, they only knew there was an active shooter in the vicinity. Everyone was understandably frightened.
“It was terrifying to not know what was going on,” Graf said. “We were all kind of rushing them to hurry up, get your bags packed, you know, let’s get out of the dugout, get to our cars and get out of the area.”
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) reports that about two hours after discovering the bullet-riddled body of 40-year-old Shawn Rahn, a father of two White children, officers arrested 37-year-old Randolph Scott—a Black man—on charges of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
Scott remains in custody without bail. Police have yet to declare a motive or relationship between the two men. The WCSO did however reference 911 callers who described a “domestic violence” situation in progress in addition to gunfire.
A review of Shawn Rahn’s now-inactive Facebook account lends support to allegations of domestic violence.
Through obituaries and memorials, the Justice Report confirmed that Shawn Rahn was in a multi-year relationship with a woman named Vicki Corcoran, as recently as July 17, 2024. On that date, Rahn posted a photo of a hot air balloon above “our [Vicki and Shawn’s] house,” explicitly naming Vicki A. Corcoran.
Vicki Corcoran is identified as the mother of Ashley Corcoran. Ashley, in turn, has at least one mixed-race child with a Black man known on Facebook as “Bucha Scott.”
On March 15, 2020, ‘Bucha’ Scott posted a photo album showing a mixed-race child visiting the gravesites of Mary Scott, Stephen Corcoran, Donna Corcoran, and a third unnamed grave. The caption read: “Visiting grandma, grandpa, & unk [sic]…. Ashley Nichole Corcoran Vicki A Corcoran Towanda Scott”
Stephen and Donna Corcoran are Vicki’s deceased parents, while ‘Bucha’ and Towanda Scott are identified as the grandson and daughter of Mary E. Scott, based on obituaries and social media posts. Additional claims from other Scott family members, alongside a photo comparison with Randolph Scott’s mugshot, suggest that ‘Bucha’ is Randolph Scott.
Yesterday, Towanda Scott shared a post from another Lyons resident and Black woman, Alicia Tinzy.
“We would do well to remember that whenever we point a finger at others and try to expose their flaws, crimes, sins and imperfections,” Tinzy explained “that we are all sinners and have the four remaining fingers pointing back at us.”
Tinzy’s message also urged Lyons residents to “foster community” and to “…recognize our shared humanity: Transcend differences and acknowledge our common experiences.”
Randolph Scott is currently in custody awaiting a hearing on September 26.
A GoFundMe called “Help Me Bring My Father Home” was posted by Shawn Rahn’s daughter, who lives in Florida, and has since raised over $4000 at the time of publication.
“As most of you may know, my dad moved to New York to create a better life for himself. Seeing we reside in Florida, it is a costly expense to get my father’s remains back home. All proceeds will be going to that as well as his celebration of life. Any donations, big or small will help alleviate some of the stress for my family and I. I want to thank all of you wholeheartedly for reaching out and loving my dad.”
While Black violence has long plagued American cities, it has increasingly spread to America’s suburbs and small towns since the George Floyd race riots of 2020.
In early August, another White father of two was “senselessly” shot dead in a suburb outside Detroit, Michigan after reports say a Black man was upset over a petty lawn dispute.
Later in August, the body of a missing White teenager was found on the banks of the Red River between Minnesota and North Dakota with her alleged adult Black “boyfriend” arrested and charged in connection with the crime.
