ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester police have released the names of two of the three people who were shot and killed in the city early Thursday morning.

According to investigators, Tywan Harper, 22, of Rochester, and Malakai Smith, 19, of Greece are the 69th and 70th homicide victims of 2021. Both men were shot and killed inside an apartment building on Chestnut Street where Harper was a resident. Police believe Harper and Smith were friends.

The deaths of Harper and Smith broke the record for the most homicides in one year for Rochester, according to investigators. A man shot and killed Thursday afternoon on St. Paul Street drove that number higher. Police have not yet released the identity of the St. Paul Street victim.

On Friday, Mayor Lovely Warren declared a state of emergency because of the ongoing violence in the city.