Authorities target Central Park Gang in roundup

Federal agents and local police began a roundup early this morning of alleged associates of a violent Buffalo street gang. Leaders, members and associates of the Central Park Gang, sometimes known as CPG, were the targets of the roundup, police told The Buffalo News.

The roundup, involving more than 100 federal agents and police officers, began around 6 a.m. on the city's East Side. By 7:30 a.m., more than 20 suspects were in custody.

Law enforcement officials identified three Buffalo men, Tyrone Pennick, David Manuel and Rodney Hill, as main targets of the investigation.

The three will be charged with running a continuing criminal enterprise. Their ages and addresses were not released this morning. All three are in police custody. Criminal dog fighting charges will be filed against at least two of the men arrested today, police said.

Authorities said investigators learned that the Central Park Gang got its cocaine from sources in Houston, Texas.

The Central Park Gang has been one of the most troublesome criminal groups in the city in recent years, and some gang members are involved in cocaine trafficking and dog fights, police said.

"Buffalo Police have classified the Central Park Gang as one of the most active gangs in the city," one law enforcement official said this morning.

Although police encountered pit bulls at several of the locations where arrests were made, no major incidents were reported.

Several defendants will be charged with operating a continuing criminal enterprise, a federal crime that carries a lengthy mandatory prison term. The defendants are expected to appear in U.S. District Court later today before Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder Jr.

The gang was investigated by the Safe Streets Task Force, a unit that is led by the FBI and also includes the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Drug Enforcement 

Administration; State Police; Buffalo Police; Amherst Police; state parole officers; and Erie County probation officers.

dherbeck@buffnews.com

Buffalo gang busted, two are at large

Central Park Gang spread narcotics all over WNY

Wednesday, 16 Dec 2009

Police officer mowed down by car during chase on foot

By Gene Warner BUFFALO NEWS STAFF REPORTER Updated: November 14, 2009

A Buffalo police officer was struck by a vehicle as he was chasing a suspicious person on foot near Broadway tonight, and police officials believe the officer was intentionally hit.

Officer James O'Donnell, 24, of the Ferry-Fillmore District, was taken to Erie County Medical Center, where he was being treated for head injuries, including a possible concussion and facial lacerations, police said.

"It appears to be an intentional striking of the officer," Buffalo Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson said at a brief press conference in front of ECMC. "The vehicle did not attempt to stop as it struck the officer."

O'Donnell was struck from behind while chasing the suspicious person on foot, on Grey Street, about half a block north of Broadway, at about 8:15 p.m.

After the officer was struck, fellow officers fanned out from the scene, looking for both the car that struck O'Donnell and the person he was chasing. Police believe the car was a dark vehicle, possibly a four-door model.

Anyone with any information about the vehicle, its driver or the suspicious person being chased is asked to call the police department's confidential tip line at 847-2255.

Robber shoots at cop in auto store

By T.J. Pignataro Buffalo News Staff Reporter

November 25, 2009

A Ferry-Fillmore District police officer dodged gunfire late this afternoon inside a Broadway automotive store after he walked in on an apparent robbery-in-progress, Buffalo police reported.

The incident occurred about 4:50 p.m. at the AutoZone store at 1224 Broadway. A man was in the process of robbing the store when the on-duty officer stopped in to have a pair of keys made, according to Buffalo police officials.

A few of the customers approached the officer and informed him a robbery was taking place. Moments later, the robber turned toward the officer with a gun and opened fire.

Two shots were fired. The officer dove out of the way and was not struck, according to Michael J. DeGeorge, Buffalo police spokesman.

The bullets struck a wall, along with a display of anti-freeze and the front glass door to the store, cracking it.

The robber then fled on foot.

Buffalo police had much of the neighborhood cordonned off for about an hour after the robbery while searching for the suspect, who remained at large.

tpignataro@buffnews.com

Mother, Son Arrested in Two Bank Robberies

BUFFALO NEWS December 03, 2009

A mother-and-son tandem of bank robbers was nabbed Wednesday in connection with the back-to-back August heists at an M&T Bank branch on Grant Street, Buffalo police reported.

Priscilla Simmons, 39, of Baynes Avenue, was charged with attempted robbery for allegedly entering the 130 Grant St. bank at about 10 a. m. Aug. 25 and handing a note to a teller demanding money. She left empty-handed.

The next day, her son, James W. Tyson, 22, of the same Baynes Avenue address, robbed the same bank about 10:30 a. m., police said.

Tyson was charged with third-degree robbery.

Woman 85, Mugged Walking near Her Home

BUFFALO NEWS November 26, 2009

An 85-year-old Henrietta Avenue woman was pushed to the ground and robbed of her purse near her home early about 1 p. m. Wednesday, Buffalo police said.

The attacker, described as a 16- year-old white male with a red hooded sweatshirt, shoved her from behind before grabbing the leather purse, which contained $35 in cash and a cell phone.

The victim was taken by ambulance to Kenmore Mercy Hospital for observation.

Northwest District police were investigating.

 Buffalo woman charged in church thefts

The surveilence-camera photo — released by police on Saturday — generated numerous tips and led investigators to the registered owner of the vehicle in Lawtons, a hamlet in the southern Erie County Town of North Collins.

Police learned it was Abrams — seen in the surveillance photos — who borrowed the vehicle from the owner.

"The owner of the vehicle isn't connected to the crime in any way," Richards said.

When police zeroed in on Abrams as a suspect, they learned she had an address on North Street, as well a previous address in Salamanca. Buffalo police contacted the Erie County Sheriff's Office.

Abrams was picked up Tuesday by sheriff's investigators Greg McCarthy and Brian Moore, who turned her over to Buffalo police.

"The sheriff's department picked her up hiding out in a trailer in the Southtowns," Richards said.

Richards said Abrams set out with the vehicle for one purpose: quick cash.

Instead, at St. Louis Catholic Church, she ended up with a credit card.

"So she kept going to the next [church] and to the next and to the next," Richards said.

The thief targeted women sitting in pews, and in one case victimized a woman during a coffee hour after church. The method, in at least some cases, included engaging the victim in conversation, then stealing the purse or wallet when the victim was distracted.

In the end, the larcenies netted Abrams less than $30 in cash, Richards said during a late- night news conference in Northwest District headquarters on Hertel Avenue.

Richards said Abrams does have a record, but for relatively minor offenses.

The Erie County Sheriff's Office also had a warrant for Abrams' arrest, but it was unclear Tuesday night for what.

Though police believe Abrams was acting alone, they continued to caution people about being vigilant and leaving their possessions unattended.

Prison term imposed in fraud at two banks

BUFFALO NEWS November 25, 2009

A former employee who stole money from two separate banks will spend a year and nine months in federal prison, the U. S. attorney’s office said.

Janei London-Walker, 31, of Buffalo, was sentenced Tuesday by District Judge William M. Skretny for four felonies, including bank fraud, filing false tax returns and making false statements on a government loan application.

While working at KeyBank in 2005, London-Walker set up a fake account and deposited more than $109,000 into it from the accounts of other bank customers, prosecutor Gretchen L. Wylegala said. The money was then withdrawn from automated teller machines by the woman’s husband, Bernard Walker, who also faces sentencing in the case.

London-Walker left KeyBank before those crimes were discovered and began working at HSBC Bank, where she later withdrew $21,000 from a dormant account belonging to a deceased customer, according to prosecutors.

The banks, and not the customers, incurred the losses, Wylegala said. She said London-Walker also admitted filing false tax returns and making false statements on a loan application to the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Cold-case probe nets pastor in '98 slaying

Police say he admits shooting 17-year-old

By Lou Michel BUFFALO News Staff Reporter November 09, 2009, 11:27 PM /

Cold Case Squad detectives Monday arrested a West Side pastor in the fatal shooting of a young father in front of the victim's girlfriend and their infant son more than a decade ago.

Jose G. Figueroa, 31, of Carolina Street, was charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Alex Martinez, 17.

Several individuals broke down a rear door at 392 Grant St. at 12:30 a.m. Jan. 29, 1998, and entered the Martinez residence. Then, without saying a word, Figueroa allegedly fired a bullet into the victim's head.

At the time of the killing, then-Buffalo Homicide Bureau Chief Joseph Riga said it appeared that Martinez had been targeted.

"They didn't say anything. They just shot him in the head and left through the same door," Riga said then.

Figueroa, who described himself to police as a pastor and a full-time cleaner, was located after homicide detectives received his name from a tipster a few weeks ago.

When cold-case detectives went to Figueroa's home Friday, he was out but later contacted them and agreed to go to Police Headquarters on Monday for an interview.

"Within minutes after his arrival, he confessed to the murder of Alex Martinez," said Cold Case Detective Brian G. Ross. "I believe his strong faith and conscience led to his willingness to confess."

Figueroa explained to police that he had become a pastor since the shooting, though he did not identify the church.

"He was clearly a different person than at the time of the homicide and has taken steps to carve out a better lifestyle for himself and his family in the years since the homicide," Ross said.

As for Martinez's family members, they were notified Monday afternoon that the case has been solved.

"They are extremely grateful. They told me, "Now we can rest," Ross said.

As for a motive for the deadly shooting, the detective said that remains under investigation. The shooting originally was thought to be drug-related, but Ross declined to comment on that.

Assisting in solving the case were other Cold Case Detectives Charles Aronica and Lissacq M. Redmond along with State Police Investigator Geraldo Rondon.

"This is just an example of the outstanding police work done by our Cold Case Squad, which I believe is one of the best in the nation," said Deputy Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda, who also credited homicide detectives for their help.

To back up his praise of the Cold Case Squad, Derenda noted that this is the eighth long- term unsolved homicide that has ended in an arrest this year. Last year, 18 cold cases were solved, and in 2007, 14 cases.

lmichel@buffnews.com

Police seize cocaine, cash in Riverside raid

BUFFALO POLICE November 10, 2009, 9:30 AM /

Buffalo police Narcotics Squad detectives confiscated more than 4.5 ounces of powder cocaine and more than $58,000 in cash while serving a search warrant in the Riverside area late Monday night.

Detectives led by Lt. Paul R. Delano Jr. also seized a shotgun and rifle while serving the search warrant at the home of John Rickard on Laird Avenue, just east of Riverside Park, according to police reports.

Police charged Rickard, 37, with felony drug counts and weapons possession.

"The drugs, the cash and the weapons are indicative of what our officers are encountering on a regular basis, during their covert investigations," Chief of Detectives Dennis J. Richards stated. 

"This demonstrates the profit potential of unlawful narcotics dealing, as well as the fact that illegal weapons are being used in the drug trade."

Police officials said the investigation resulted from citizen complaints and led to the search warrant signed by City Judge Debra Givens.

Arrest made in fatal summer shooting

Friday, 06 Nov 2009, 2:18 PM EST Posted by: Kate McGowan

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Buffalo Police Homicide Detectives arrested 22 year old, Adrian Traylor in connection with the fatal shooting of a 61 year old, Larry Crosland while he was outside of a Senior Citizen Complex on the east side.

Traylor is charged with 2nd degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

The incident occurred Wednesday, August 12th just before 3 p.m.

Crosland was waiting outside of the Msgr. Adamski Apartments on William Street, when he was struck in the upper body by a stray bullet.

Detectives believe Traylor was firing at a passing vehicle, when Crosland was shot.

Schiller Park shooting claims life of man, 23

BUFFALO NEWS October 25, 2009

Homicide detectives are investigating the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old man in the city’s Schiller Park neighborhood early Saturday.

The shooting occurred shortly after midnight in the 2100 block of Genesee Street, near Crossman Avenue. The victim was getting into his vehicle when he was shot several times, according to Michael J. DeGeorge, Buffalo police spokesman.

He was driven by friends to Erie County Medical Center, where he later died.

DeGeorge declined to release the name of the victim late Saturday.

Three shot at Main Street party

BUFFALO NEWS Updated: October 23, 2009

Three men in their 20s were shot, apparently at a party, early this morning on Main Street near Leroy Avenue, Buffalo police said.

"There was some type of party last night, when an unknown suspect or suspects fired multiple shots striking the three victims," police spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge said.

All three are being treated in Erie County Medical Center, where two were listed in stable condition and the third in fair condition late this morning, officials reported.

Timothy Lamar and Jeremy Hollis, both 23, were listed in stable condition, while David Chiles, 26, was in fair condition, authorities said.

Two victims drove themselves to the medical center, while the third was taken by ambulance, following the shootings that occurred shortly after 1 a.m.

Anyone with information about the shootings is asked to call the police department's confidential tip line at 847-2255

Drug dealer sentenced to seven years in prison

By Matt Gryta BUFFALO NEWS STAFF REPORTER October 20, 2009

The judge who today sentenced paralyzed Buffalo drug dealer Lamont D. Williams to prison for seven years said she hopes his fate sends a stern message out to the streets about the dangers of gun-toting.

Williams, 21, of Poplar Avenue, continued to profess his innocence and said his shooting by a Buffalo police officer 13 months ago "changed my life drastically."

But Erie County Judge Shirley Troutman told him she hopes his time in prison will prompt him to turn his life around "in a positive way."

The much-arrested Williams was sentenced on his Sept. 22 conviction on weapons charges and for menacing a police officer, as well as on his conviction last May for drug dealing. He could have faced a maximum 19 years in prison, but Troutman spared him that after defense attorney Scott F. Riordan told her the shooting has already imposed "a life sentence he can never get away from."

Williams is preparing to sue the city over the Kermit Street standoff on Sept. 24, 2008, that left him permanently paralyzed. Williams -- who has been arrested at least 10 other times -- was shot after police said he pulled a gun while being chased by officers who were breaking up a group smoking marijuana and blocking pedestrians on a street corner.

Prosecutor Jaime L. Gallagher argued unsuccessfully for the stiffest-possible sentence, telling the judge that Williams "continues to deny any wrongdoing" due to his impending lawsuit against the city and the Buffalo Police Department.

mgryta@buffnews.com

Victim in fair condition after West Side shooting

BUFFALO NEWS October 19, 2009

The man wounded in an apparent drive-by shooting on the West Side was listed in fair condition Sunday in Erie County Medical Center.

Buffalo police said the victim, Cecilio Medina, 25, of Buffalo, was shot at about 9:40 p. m. Saturday while walking north on Plymouth Avenue near Pennsylvania Street. 

Police asked anyone with information to call the confidential tip line, 847-2255.

Gunman injures 2 men on Letchworth Street

BUFFALO NEWS October 19, 2009

Two Buffalo men leaving a neighborhood bar were shot on Letchworth Street early Sunday.

Police said the victims were in the first block of Letchworth at about 1:30 a. m. when they were struck by gunfire. Both men were taken to Erie County Medical Center. Michael Woods, 20, was in fair condition Sunday. The other victim, Jermaine Habeeb, 19, was treated and released.

City cops probe shooting after victim drives to ECMC

BUFFALO NEWS October 19, 2009

Buffalo homicide investigators are assisting in the probe of an early afternoon shooting that is believed to have occurred near the intersection of Olympic and Alma avenues.

Northeast District officers answered a "shots fired" call at about 12:45 p.m. involving a 17-year-old, whose identity was not released. He had been struck multiple times before driving himself to Erie County Medical Center, where he was undergoing surgery, police said.

Authorities say they are looking at the possibility that the shooting was prompted by a dispute involving the victim and at least one other individual.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police confidential TIP-CALL line, 847-2255.

Teen killed in one of three overnight shootings

By Jay Tokasz BUFFALO NEWS STAFF REPORTER October 10, 2009

A 17-year-old Buffalo male was pronounced dead on arrival at Erie County Medical Center late Friday, after being shot while outside a house on Fillmore Avenue.

The deceased, David J. Hyshaw, was one of six victims in three separate shooting incidents late Friday and early today.

Buffalo police responding to the call found Hyshaw laying in a pool of blood on an East Ferry Street sidewalk at about 9:11 p.m.

Emergency personnel performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation but were unable to revive Hyshaw, who was shot in the head.

Another victim, Dewey A. Taylor, 16, was shot in the leg and was taken to ECMC for treatment.

Police said at least three males approached the two victims on foot and fired multiple shots as they stood on Fillmore Avenue.

Northeast District officers also responded to reports of gunfire in the 200 block of Minnesota Avenue at around 8:30 p.m.

Edward Battles, 17, was struck by gunfire while driving a Chevy Lumina eastbound on Minnesota. He then collided with two parked cars.

Battles was in critical condition at ECMC.

A 14-year-old girl who was standing in a nearby driveway on Minnesota also was struck by gunfire, police said.

The girl, whose name was not released, suffered a fracture in her left femur.

Police also had reports of another shooting near East Utica and Fillmore Avenue at about 1 a.m. today in which two men were injured.

Homicide Squad detectives responded to both of the Friday night shooting scenes, and anyone with information regarding either of the incidents is encouraged to contact the police department's confidential tip line at 847-2255.

jtokasz@buffnews.com

Troopers find loaded guns in two traffic stops

BUFFALO NEWS October 07, 2009

State troopers assigned to Operation Impact in the city of Buffalo recovered two loaded handguns in a pair of traffic stops, and arrested three people in two other traffic stops on city streets Tuesday.

After troopers stopped a vehicle on Broadway because the passenger wasn't wearing a seat belt, they found a loaded 9mm handgun on the back-seat floor. State police charged Samuel L. Walker, 23, and Theresa N. June, 23, both of Buffalo, with weapons possession.

State police also pulled over a vehicle driven by Tamone T. Henderson, 25, of Buffalo, who was driving on Genesee Street near Zenner Street while talking on his cell phone and failing to wear his seat belt. While interviewing Henderson, troopers said, they spotted a loaded Colt .38 Special between his feet on the floor. He was charged with weapons possession and a warrant charge of obstructing governmental administration.

The three other people were arrested for having an open container, fleeing from police and unauthorized use of a rental car.

Camera leads police to suspect in burglary

Arrest follows imagefrom an intersection

By Lou Michel BUFFALO NEWS STAFF REPORTER September 25, 2009

A South Buffalo burglary suspect earlier this week fell victim to a surveillance camera, old-fashioned police work and a family member who says she is petrified of her crack-addicted brother, police said Thursday.

The thief drove to the Seneca Cazenovia Square senior citizens residence Sunday morning, loaded a gas grill and snowblower into the back of his pickup and took off, apparently thinking he had been undetected.

Ten minutes later, South District officers arrived at the center, in the 2100 block of Seneca Street, and called the surveillance camera room at Buffalo Police Headquarters to see whether the camera at Abbott Road and Lorraine Avenue had recorded images of a vehicle leaving the vicinity, Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson said in a news conference Thursday.

When camera room personnel found an image of a truck with the stolen items in the back passing through the nearby intersection of Abbott and Cazenovia Street, Gipson said, they supplied officers with the information.

The suspect’s sister had complained to police about her brother, who she said was on a seven-day, crack-smoking binge.

And suspect Mark A. DelMonte was under arrest by about 7 a. m.

“I’m so grateful for those cameras. They should have more of them,” said Karen A. DelMonte, who lives on Hayden Street with her 45-year-old brother, about a dozen blocks from where the camera recorded his vehicle. “He’s finally hit his bottom after 25 years of smoking crack.”

The camera technology, Gipson said, helped make the arrest happen a lot sooner than it would have.

“When I’m monitoring the police radio, I hear officers call the camera room all the time, asking if there are any images from a crime scene, and the camera room was able to pull up this image,” the commissioner said.

But it was also DelMonte’s violent behavior that led to the arrest, the sister said.

“He tried to break down my door and assault me. He had brass knuckles. I called the police.

When the police came, he had taken off, and they asked what does he drive, and I told them, and they said they were looking for that vehicle from a burglary,” Karen DelMonte said.

When police left her home, she said, he returned, and she again called 911, urging officers to “please hurry.”

“He’s was smoking crack all night. He was smoking it for the last seven days,” Karen Del- Monte said. “. . . I want to see a long-term incarceration or an in-house drug program where he won’t come out for a while.”

Her brother has already received numerous chances from the legal system to rehabilitate himself, she said, but he keeps slipping back into addiction.

“He was on welfare and spending the money on crack. He was trading food stamps for crack or money. It’s a whole scam,” the sister said, adding that she is due in City Court at 2 p. m. today to finalize an order of protection against her brother.

During the news conference, Mayor Byron W. Brown announced that more surveillance cameras are on the way.

“The city has 70 surveillance cameras, and we expect to have another 57 by the end of the year,” Brown said.

Each camera costs about $45,000.

As more cameras are installed, Gipson explained, police will be able to take a bigger picture of the city.

“Seventy cameras might seem like a lot, but the city is 42 square miles,” he said, “and as we build out the camera system, we’ll get a more comprehensive picture.”

Officers credited with the arrest included Lt. Patrick A. Roberts, Detective Mark J. Fitzpatrick and Officer Debra A. Hornberger. Also, Officers James T. Reese and Kevin M. Kennedy recovered the stolen property on Peabody Street.

lmichel@buffnews.com

Pilots cite danger of laser pointed at aircraft

By Gene Warner and T.J. Pignataro

Buffalo News Staff Reporters September 18, 2009

It may have seemed like a good idea -- just a harmless stunt -- at the time.

But the pointing of a green laser at both a FedEx airliner and the Erie County Sheriff's helicopter multiple times Thursday night has led to felony criminal charges against three men, and a strong rebuke from a group of top local officials today.

The pilot of the sheriff's Air One helicopter, Capt. Kevin Caffery, cited the risks people take if they point a laser into a pilot's eyes.

"There's a good chance you're going to wind up in jail," he said following an afternoon press conference. "At the worst, you could bring down an aircraft and kill a lot of people."

Caffery was joined today near the Erie Basin Marina by Mayor Byron W. Brown, Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson and Sheriff Timothy B. Howard. Those officials praised the efforts that led to the arrest of three individuals.

"Due to the collaboration and excellent police work, we were able to apprehend three individuals on the ground in the Kaisertown area of the city," Brown told reporters. "This is a strong partnership, a partnership that already is paying dividends."

Timothy J. Voigt, 42, his son, Eric Voigt, 20, both of Griswold Street, and Bradley J. Campbell, 28, of Barnard Street, all face multiple counts of felony reckless endangerment.

The green laser first was pointed at a FedEx plane at about 8:45 p.m. Thursday. Those pilots contacted air-traffic controllers, who alerted Buffalo police. Then, as the sheriff's Air One helicopter searched the Kaisertown neighborhood, it was "hit" six times by the laser.

Caffery compared the laser light to a lightning strike, saying it lit up the entire aircraft. A direct hit into your eyes can be blinding, he and others pointed out.

"It was a slight disorientation and really a burning sensation in your eyes," Caffery said. "I looked away and turned the aircraft away from it."

Co-pilot Art Litzinger then used an infrared camera system to pinpoint the laser's location and help Buffalo police make the arrests.

Howard called the laser pointing into pilots' eyes "extremely dangerous," citing studies that have been done for about the last 10 years.

"This wasn't just a playful stunt, [even though] that may have been on the minds of the individuals," he said. "Especially during takeoffs and landings, this could have caused a plane to crash."

Thursday night's incident forced authorities to close a runway at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, because the sheriff's helicopter was forced to fly into otherwise restricted airspace.

Law enforcement officials cited possible federal charges in this case.

"Right now, this crime is being reviewed by the FAA and the FBI," Gipson said.

gwarner@buffnews.com and tpignataro@buffnews.com

Orange cop accused in twin sex switch resigns

Published: New Haven Register Tuesday, September 15, 2009

ORANGE — The Orange police officer who was arrested last month for allegedly pretending to be his twin brother to dupe a woman into sex has resigned from the department, police said in a statement Tuesday.

Probationary Officer Jared Rohrig, 25, of 7 Flax Mill Lane, Milford, who is charged with first-degree sexual assault and criminal impersonation, has been on paid administrative leave from the Orange Police Department since July.

Rohrig submitted his resignation and it was accepted by the Board of Police Commissioners on Monday, police said.

“Jared Rohrig’s decision to resign from his position as probationary officer was in his best interest as well as the best interests of the town of Orange, Police Chief Robert Gagne said in a statement released Tuesday morning.

Rohrig’s attorney, Edward J. Gavin of Bridgeport, has said his client intends to plead not guilty at his next court date, which is Oct. 7.

The arrest warrant affidavit in the case says the alleged victim in the case told Milford police she realized the man she believed to be Joseph did not have a tattoo of a cowboy on his buttocks and was therefore Jared, and she tried to leave but allegedly was forced back on the bed and sexually assaulted.

The assault is alleged to have occurred late July 18 and into early July 19 at the Flax Mill Lane home where both Jared and Joseph live with their family.

Jared and Joseph Rohrig were home when the woman arrived at the house, but Joseph had gone to his room before she left her car, the arrest warrant affidavit says. The woman said Jared referred to himself as “Joe” to trick her while the two were alone in a hot tub at the house, it says.

But Jared’s sister allegedly called out to him by name, asking him to turn down the music, the warrant affidavit says. The woman told police she did not hear what Jared’s sister said.

Jared Rohrig is free on $50,000 bail. His case will be transferred to the Part A docket, where more serious cases are heard.

“Obviously, Jared maintains his innocence. … There is a presumption of innocence, and this is an innocent man,” Gavin said after Jared Rohrig’s recent court appearance.

Buffalo woman falls through chimney in apparent stunt

BUFFALO NEWS September 01, 2009

A 29-year-old Buffalo woman who apparently climbed to the roof of a Delaware Avenue commercial building early this morning suffered multiple injuries when she fell through the chimney, Buffalo police reported.

Tiffany Mellon, one of four people arrested in connection with the stunt, was taken to Erie County Medical Center, where she was listed in fair condition late this morning with multiple injuries, authorities said.

Mellon and Christopher Panzica of Buffalo apparently climbed to the roof of a building on Delaware Avenue near Chippewa Street, using a ladder attached to the building, at about 2 a.m. today, according to police reports.

Police believe Mellon climbed another ladder to the chimney, before falling through the chimney, police spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge said. She had to be rescued by city firefighters and police.

Officers charged Mellon with criminal trespassing and Panzica with trespassing. Two others accused of helping them in the stunt, Michael Pope, 23, of Buffalo, and Gregory Thomson, 23, of Williamsville, were charged with reckless endangerment, police said.

-

Rescued and arrested by Lt Joseph Gramaglia and Police Officer Joseph Ruggiero assisted by Buffalo Fire Department and Erie County Sheriff's helicopter, Air-1

Police investigate east side shooting

Police believe man caught in crossfire

Sunday, 23 Aug 2009, 12:27 PM EDT Zackary Kineke Posted by Kate McGowan

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Detectives were called to the east side to investigate a shooting on Bailey Avenue near Wecker street.

One person was taken to ECMC with non-life threatening injuries.

Police at the scene believe he was caught in the crossfire.

If you have any information on the shooting, call the police confidential tipline.

That number is 847-225

Triple shooting on east side

Victim in Saturday night shooting dies

BUFFALO NEWS August 23, 2009, 12:20 PM /

One of the three people shot late Saturday at Burgard Place and Doat Street, on the city's East Side, has died.

A police spokesman said the victim is a 21-year-old resident of Janet Street. His name was being withheld until his family could be notified, spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge said.

Buffalo police were searching for the shooter or shooters who attacked the three about 10 p.m.

All of the victims were taken to Erie County Medical Center.

Victim Denise Johnson, 18, of Burgard Place is listed in fair condition at ECMC.

A third victim has been treated and released. She is 19-year-old Tasima Hawkins of Hazel Place in the city.

"We believe the shooter or shooters escaped on foot," DeGeorge said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Confidential TIPCALL Line at 847-2255

Man, 18, severely beaten in possible hate crime

By Gene Warner

BUFFALO NEWS STAFF REPORTER Updated: August 19, 2009, 11:40 AM /

An 18-year-old man was severely beaten with a piece of concrete late Tuesday night, in an assault that's being investigated by Buffalo police as a possible hate crime.

The victim, who lives off Genesee Street at the eastern edge of the city, was listed in serous condition today in Erie County Medical Center, where he's being treated for a severe head injury.

"Police are looking into the possibility that it could be a hate crime, based on the information we have received," police spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge said, refusing to elaborate.

Witnesses told police that the young man, who is white, was beaten by a group of about 10 to 12 black males. Police are investigating the possibility that the beating may have resulted from a dispute involving a friend of the victim's.

Following the attack, which occurred at about 10:50 p.m. at Genesee Street and Floss Avenue, the victim managed to make his way to his nearby home.

Police fielded calls about a gang assault, and they followed the trail of blood to the man's home.

Detectives say they have been hindered in their investigation by the victim's reluctance to talk about the crime.

Woman’s car shot when caught in crossfire

BUFFALO NEWS August 16, 2009, 6:30 AM /

A woman reported to police early Saturday that on Aug. 8, she was caught in the crossfire of a man shooting at another and that her car was struck with bullets.

The victim said she was in her 2005 Toyota at East Delavan Avenue and Suffolk Street when two men began shooting. Bullets struck her front windshield and the passenger side, she said.

Gunfire from car hits man in the head

BUFFALO NEWS August 21, 2009, 6:43 AM /

An Eggert Road man was struck in the wrist and head by gunfire Thursday afternoon at Broadway and Person Street, Buffalo police said.

Carlos Inabinett, 33, was hit after someone opened fire from a gold Ford Taurus driving by at about 3 p. m. A group of juveniles was gathered there at the time.

The bullet passed through Inabinett’s wrist and lodged in the left side of his head, authorities said.

I

nabinett was taken to Erie County Medical Center and was undergoing surgery at ECMC late Thursday.

Police identify man shot dead on East Side; another man, hit by stray bullet Wednesday, dies

By Gene Warner and T. J. Pignataro BUFFALO NEWS STAFF REPORTER August 14, 2009

Buffalo police today identified the victim in a Thursday afternoon homicide that occurred just before the resident of a senior-citizens apartment complex on William Street died from wounds he suffered in the crossfire of a gun fight Wednesday.

The victim in the later incident, Terrance Craig, 40, of Landon Street, died in Erie County Medical Center, a short time after he was found shot in a shopping-plaza parking lot on Jefferson Avenue near East Utica Street. Police were called to the scene at about 5:40 p.m.

Also on Thursday evening, Larry Crosland, 61, of the Monsignor Adamski senior apartments, died in ECMC. He was struck in the head by a bullet fired in a shootout between two gunmen on William Street on Wednesday afternoon.

The two homicides raise the city's death toll for the year to 38 — the same number as in all of 2008.

Buffalo police are asking anyone with information to contact them on the department's confidential tip line at 847-2255.

Police also are searching for suspects in the deaths of Crosland and Eric Morrow, 21, of Kamper Avenue, who was fatally shot about 9 p.m. Tuesday near Auburn and West avenues.

The three homicides this week are among six shootings that have occurred in the city since noon Tuesday.

Michael L. Sanchez, 20, remained in critical condition Thursday at ECMC. He was struck by four bullets early Wednesday on Bird Avenue.

Two other victims who were shot on the city's East Side were treated in ECMC and discharged.

Crosland was fatally struck just before 3 p.m. Wednesday, outside his apartment complex at 855 William St. The fatal shot was from gunfire near Townsend and William streets.

Gunplay continued early Thursday, just after midnight, when a Prospect Avenue man told police that a gunman 10 feet away from him opened fire with numerous shots. The man, who fell to the ground, managed to avoid being hit, police said.

Buffalo police on Thursday also announced the death of 17-year-old Joseph Galioto, who was shot in the head on Sept. 13, 2008, a day shy of his 17th birthday, near 925 Niagara St. Galioto, who had been on life support in ECMC since the shooting, died Tuesday.

tpignataro@buffnews.com

Stray shot critically injures man on city’s East Side

5 shootings logged since noon Tuesday

By T. J. Pignataro, Gene Warner and Brian Meyer BUFFALO NEWS STAFF REPORTERS August 13, 2009

Buffalo police this morning released a photo of the vehicle they believe was involved in the Wednesday afternoon shooting on William Street that left a 61-year-old man critically wounded.

Larry Crosland, 61, was listed in critical condition today in Erie County Medical Center after a stray bullet hit him in the forehead.

Detectives say Crosland apparently was an innocent victim, standing outside his senior-citizens apartment complex when he was caught in the cross-fire of gunmen shooting at each other.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the police department's confidential tip line at 847-2255. Crosland was the victim in one of five city shootings over a 27-hour period that started since noon Tuesday. Crosland was outside the Monsignor Adamski senior apartments at 855 William St. just before 3 p.m. Wednesday when gunfire erupted and he was caught in the cross-fire of at least two gunmen firing at each other near Townsend and William streets, police said.

"It appears that man was an innocent victim," said Michael J. DeGeorge, Buffalo police spokesman. 

Three people were in custody and being questioned by police. No charges had been lodged, DeGeorge said. A fourth person still was being sought.

The spate of violence stretched from one end of the city to the other. One man died and another was critically injured in two separate West Side shootings.

Eric Morrow, 21, of Kamper Avenue, was fatally shot at about 9 p.m. Tuesday near Auburn and West avenues — struck by gunfire in the chest and leg while he was standing near a porch. Morrow is the city's 36th homicide victim of the year. There were 38 in all of 2008.

Four bullets struck Michael L. Sanchez, 20, after two men who identified themselves as members of a West Side gang opened fire on him just before 1 a.m. Wednesday in the 200 block of Bird Avenue. Sanchez ran from his attackers, who kept firing at him, police said.

He was listed in critical condition Wednesday night in the intensive-care unit of ECMC, with wounds to his right side.

About 30 minutes before the fatal Morrow attack, four shots on Goodyear Avenue, on the city's East Side, injured David Williams, 19, of Colvin Avenue.

A gunman in a black Ford Explorer with tinted windows pointed a handgun out the window and opened fire, a bullet striking Williams in the nose and just beneath his right eye, police said. Williams was treated in ECMC, then discharged.

Just before noon Tuesday, Anthony Lark, 32, of Liddell Street, was struck in the upper left leg as Frederick L. Jones, 29, of Paderewski Drive, fired as many as nine shots into a group of people on Liddell Street, police said.

Ferry-Fillmore District officers tracked Jones down on Broadway minutes after the shooting, and he was charged with felony assault and other charges. Lark was treated in ECMC and discharged.

During a Wednesday meeting of the city's CitiStat accountability panel, police attributed the spike in shootings this summer to gangs and drug-related activity. "In the past six weeks, we've had an upswing in shootings and homicides," said Deputy Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda.

At this time in 2008, there were 24 homicides — meaning the homicide rate is up about 50 percent from the same period a year ago.

Last year's final figure of 38 homicides was below average.

At this date over the previous five years, the city had registered 30 homicides in 2007, 44 in 2006, 39 in 2005, 33 in 2004 and 34 in 2003.

Still, citing community concerns about the rash of shootings and murders, members of the CitiStat panel focused Wednesday's meeting on a reviewing crime statistics and strategies.

Derenda also announced plans to launch a citywide initiative designed to forge closer ties between city police and neighborhood block clubs. A pilot project has been under way in Riverside, where a block club leader has been maintaining regular contact with Derenda.

Mobilizing block clubs could be a powerful anti-crime tool, he said.

"They're the eyes and ears of the community," he added.

The city also plans its third annual gun buyback program on Saturday. People are being encouraged to turn in firearms on a "no questions asked" basis at seven drop-off sites.

tpignataro@buffnews.com

Robbery suspect shot dead by officer

Struggle in apartment followed narcotics holdup at drugstore

by T.J. Pignataro BUFFALO News Staff Reporter

August 08, 2009

A robbery suspect died in his East Eagle Street upper apartment late Friday afternoon after being shot once in a struggle with a Buffalo police officer, according to Buffalo police officials.

The 23-year-old suspect, identified by police as Matthew Connors, was located by police in the upper apartment at 873 E. Eagle St. shortly after he allegedly robbed the Seneca Pharmacy, 1979 Seneca St., at gunpoint at about 4 p.m. and made off with a quantity of prescription pills.

South District Officer James T. Reese located the suspect in the kitchen area of the apartment and a struggle ensued. Reese was struck in the hand and the head with the suspect's gun during the struggle, according to Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson, and discharged a single bullet from his service pistol, killing the suspect.

"The officer was in a fight for his life," Gipson said.

It was only later that authorities learned that the weapon Connors used to beat Reese with and rob the pharmacy was a replica assault-type weapon, Gipson said.

The incident began when Connors entered the pharmacy and reportedly told employees to get on the floor. He made off with a large quantity of narcotics.

Police responded to a 911 call stating that a white male had fled in a vehicle. Witnesses provided a license plate number to police.

The license plate number was traced to an address on East Eagle Street.

A South District police patrol in the area responded and located the vehicle a short time later in front of the East Eagle Street house. One of the officers covered the back door to the property while Reese got permission from a resident to enter the house.

Reese was confronted by Connors in the kitchen area of his upstairs apartment when the violent struggle began.

"[The officer] was being hit in the head and hands from the butt of the gun," Gipson said. "In the ensuing struggle, the officer was calling for help, saying, "Help, I'm in a fight.'�"

That's when a police captain and another officer broke through a rear door and entered the house. The gunshot occurred as they were approaching the room where the Reese and Connors were struggling, Gipson said.

When the smoke cleared, Connors was slumped over at the end of a couch with Reese on top of him, Gipson said. Connors was dead. Reese had injuries to his head and hands and was treated at the Erie County Medical Center and later released.

Reese, a 21-year veteran of the force, is a decorated officer whose resume includes service with the Gang Suppression Unit. He is known for his arrests of gang members and other criminals carrying weapons and drugs and the archives at the Buffalo News are packed with numerous details of many of those arrests.

Thomas H. Burton, attorney for the Buffalo PBA, said Reese's record "speaks for itself" and said he was justified.

"What this suspect tried to do to the officer was nothing less than a prescription for a suicide when he pulled out the gun," Burton said.

Homicide detectives, evidence and photography crews, and officials from the department's Professional Standards Division were on the scene collecting evidence.

The contraband stolen from the pharmacy was recovered in Connors' apartment. A Buick Rendezvous, believed to have been used in the getaway from the robbery, was towed from the scene by Buffalo police.

Neighbors said Connors lived in the apartment with his girlfriend, whose grandmother owns the property, and his girlfriend's 4-year-old daughter.

"There was continuous fighting going on in their house," said one neighbor who lives nearby but didn't want to give her name.

The two fought with each other as many as four to five times a week, mostly over drugs, she said.

tpignataro@buffnews.com

Two teens wounded in East Side shooting

By James Heaney BUFFALO NEWS STAFF REPORTER  

August 07, 2009

Two Buffalo teen-agers were wounded early today in what police say may have been a drive-by shooting on the city's East Side.

Details provided by police are sketchy at this point, but the shooting occurred about 1 a.m. in the 100 block of Cambridge Avenue.

Latasha Tolliver, 18, and Brian Gordon, 19, suffered unspecified injuries. They were treated and released from Erie County Medical Center.

This is the third incident of overnight shootings this week in Buffalo. That includes the five people shot early Wednesday morning, when Joseph "Joey" Lovett, 25, and Jamie Norton, 19, were slain on Hirschbeck Street.

Lives lost in mass shooting overnight Two people dead and three injured

Wednesday, 05 Aug 2009 Posted by: Emily Lenihan

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Shootings on Buffalo's east side overnight left two people dead and three others injured.

Police are searching for evidence that may lead them to the person or persons responsible for this double-fatal shooting.

Family and friends are grieving at the scene of the deadly shooting that happened around 2 a.m. Wednesday, on Hirschbeck Street near Broadway Avenue. Buffalo Police say a total of five people were shot, two fatally.

Police say a 25 year-old male from Buffalo and a 19 year-old female from Derby died at the scene, outside of 72 Hirschbeck St. Both were declared dead at the scene. Police are not releasing their names at this time pending an autopsy and complete notification of family.

The three other victims who were shot while possibly sitting in a vehicle outside of that address. All three other victims are in their 20's and all of those victims were immediately transported to Erie County Medical Center.

The victims are 27 year-old-old Kimberly Caldwell of Derby, NY, in fair condition at ECMC; and 29 year-old Joseph Cole of Buffalo who has been treated and released from ECMC.

An emotional crowd became angry over what happened Wednesday morning that led police having to break up a fight between victims' friends and family.

Investigators are still on the scene this morning gathering evidence. Officials tell News 4 they're not sure what lead to the shooting, but say a preliminary investigation points to robbery.

Buffalo Police are also investigating a shooting that happened a couple blocks away on Woeppel Street, off of Filmore Avenue. A 25-year-old male was seriously injured in that shooting.

If you have any information on these recent shootings, call the Buffalo Police Tipline at 847-2255.

Relative says shooting was a hit job; police believe robbery was motive

By Jay Rey, Brian Meyer and Jake May

BUFFALO NEWS STAFF REPORTERS Updated: August 05, 2009, 9:30 PM /

Police and neighbors continue to search for answers following this morning's shooting in the Broadway-Bailey area, which left two dead and three wounded.

A relative of one of the victims said he believes the shootings were part of a hit job targeting a woman who testified Tuesday as part of a grand jury deliberation. At a late afternoon news conference, Daniel Derenda, deputy commissioner for the Buffalo police, said police believe the motive was "an attempted robbery that went bad."

Two people were killed and three were seriously wounded in the shooting, which took place at about 2 a.m. outside of 72 Hirschbeck St., near Pullman Place, police said. The dead are Joseph Lovett, 25, and Jamie Norton, 19, both of Derby. The deaths were the 33rd and 34th homicides this year in Buffalo.

The three other people, including two women and a man, were shot while possibly sitting in a vehicle outside of that address, police said. Those three victims were identified as: Lawanda Strozier, 27, of Hirschbeck Street, listed in serious condition at Erie County Medical Center; Kimberly Caldwell, 20, of Derby, listed in fair condition at ECMC; and Joseph Cole, 29, of Buffalo, who was treated and released.

The motive for the shooting remains under investigation, but John Bisci said he believes his nephew Joseph died in a revenge killing that targeted a different victim.

"This wasn't a late-night drug deal gone bad," said Bisci, a Buffalo native who now lives in Las Vegas. "This wasn't a crime of opportunity. This was a revenge killing."

Bisci said he has talked with numerous people and believes a gunman was targeting a woman who had given grand jury testimony this week in an apparent homicide case. District Attorney Frank A. 

Sedita III refused to comment on that report when questioned by The Buffalo News.

Lovett had been visiting his family on Hirschbeck Street and was leaving when the shooting occurred, said Bisci.

He said his nephew was a good person who had the misfortune of living in a declining part of Buffalo.

"He was a product of the neighborhood," said Bisci. "He wasn't a criminal, but he wasn't an angel."

Tough childhood

Joseph Lovett's digressions were relatively minor, said Bisci. He added that Lovett had a tough childhood because of the tauntings he encountered as a result of having a white mother and a black father. Lovett and some siblings faced frequent abuse from neighborhood children.

"They would get beat up at school, then get beat up on the way home."

Bisci grew up in the Bailey-Delavan neighborhood. While he hasn't visited the city in a few years, he said the decline of many neighborhoods is very sad.

"Since the late 1960s, the entire East Side has deteriorated. It's alarming," he said.

When he last visited the area in 2006, he was taking photographs of his old neighborhood..

"A bunch of kids tried to steal my rental car when I was out taking pictures," he lamented.

Lovett's mother was being moved out the family's Hirschbeck Street house today, said Bisci.

"The family is getting a U-Haul and moving them out of there," he said.

By late this morning, the family at 58 Hirschbeck had posted a sign on their front door: "To friends and press: Our family is in grief. We need time to recover -- We ask that you stay away and allow our family to heal. The Lovett family. Thank you!"

Looking for answers

David Caldwell spent Wednesday morning at ECMC checking up on his sister, currently in stable condition and facing hip and arm surgery after being shot twice, he said.

"She's all right, she's OK," he said this afternoon. "It's horrifying for her to live through something like that."

Earlier this morning at ECMC, relatives of the wounded told a reporter that they expected all of the injured to survive, but they were upset with the early-morning violence.

"Putting up doves are not peace prints. Every time they put up a dove or picture, it is a tomb marker," said Lucretia Cole, who went to ECMC to see one of the wounded victims, a relative she would not identify. "Tell these people to stop killing each other. They're taking away people's mothers, sons, nephews and fathers. All of the people who were shot probably had kids of their own. I'm tired of it. Can we just have one week without anyone dying? This happens too much, too often. This is senseless."

Edward Majka, 91, lives next door to the location of the shooting. He said he has seen many people in and out of the house, but his neighbors are good people.

What worries Majka is how this crime will affect the safety of Hirschbeck Street in the future.

"This is such a terrible and troubling thing to happen right here, right next door to me," said Majka, a resident of the street for 30 years. "It's just hard to believe something like this could happen. 

Here, of all places. You never want to see someone shot on your street. It never ends well."

Expressing 'outrage'

Mayor Byron W. Brown expressed "outrage" today over the most recent homicides.

"It's something that we can't tolerate," Brown told The Buffalo News earlier today.

Brown is encouraging anyone with information to call the police department confidential tip line at 847-2255.

Brown also said he will call on other government agencies that police firearms to step up there efforts.

"I'm angered by this," Brown said. "I'm frustrated by this. We're going to be calling on organizations like the A.T.F. and others to help find out where these guns are coming from. This is absolutely unacceptable. There are too many guns on the streets."

The mayor said all law-enforcement agencies must enhance their efforts to take more weapons off the street.

"Organizations that have a mandate to find out where these guns are coming from need to do the work that they're supposed to do," Brown said.

After the shooting, police had to break up a fight on the street, involving a couple families on a neighboring porch.

"It was a volatile scene," said police spokesman Michael DeGeorge. "I don't know if emotions spilled over."

News Staff Reporters Danny Yadron and Matt Gryta contributed to this report.

citydesk@buffnews.com

Man who fled traffic stop is facing 10 charges

BUFFALO NEWS July 29, 2009

A Buffalo man is facing 10 vehicle and criminal charges after he fled a traffic stop Monday evening, then led Buffalo police on a foot chase that ended after he jumped into Hoyt Lake.

Vernon Sheppard, 51, drove off after he was pulled over at Holden and Wakefield avenues just before 7 p. m., then bailed out of his vehicle on Nottingham Terrace. He led officers on a foot chase across the Scajaquada Expressway, then plunged into the lake.

Charges against him include reckless driving, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle.

Jose A. Colon

Buffalo Police Officer  

Colon remembered as a dedicated officer

Colleagues say he was ‘one of a kind’who took joy in making city streets safe

By T. J. Pignataro BUFFALO NEWS STAFF REPORTER July 26, 2009

When you love your job, you don’t take a night off.

Police Officer Jose Colon never did, his colleagues agree.

As a member of the Mobile Response Unit, Colon’s tour of duty took him through some of the city’s meanest streets and roughest neighborhoods and often included a trip or more “downtown” with a prisoner in one hand and a fistful of evidence in the other.

And, those around Buffalo Police Headquarters knew when Colon was coming.

He’d usually arrive sweating and out of breath, but smiling. He’d more often than not start a conversation with his trademark expression: “Got a coupla guns tonight.” Then he’d be off, launching into a story that sometimes seemed worthy of a crime-fiction novel — but was nonetheless true.

“Jose knew the bad guys and the bad guys knew him,” said Lt. Thomas Rogers of the Mobile Response Unit. “You can’t replace a guy like Jose Colon, he was one of a kind.”

Added Fay Kwiatkowski, a report technician at Police Headquarters: “He was very dedicated to his job. With paperwork, you never had to ask him a question. He had everything down.”

That was the Colon, those who knew him recalled in the wake of his death Friday. Colon, 39, was fatally injured on his way home from work by a 21-year-old alleged drunken driver on the Niagara Thruway.

Colon relished talking about his job — he was a street cop, not a desk one — and would often describe in gritty detail just how he and fellow officers flushed drug dealers or gang-bangers out of their lairs and into handcuffs.

Most times, it involved chasing armed thugs through the streets into darkened back alleys, over fences and through yards or even into buildings. The stories ended when the good guys got their man.

In a few weeks, City Hall will run its third citywide gun buyback. Fewer guns will show up there because of Colon.

“He was as good as any gun buyback program,” said Rogers. “Jose and his partner [Officer John Poisson] could get more guns off the street in one year than most police officers do in their whole career.

“He just knew who was carrying the guns. He had a way of seeing it — it was an instinct.”

Colon, who grew up on the lower West Side, was highly respected in the Hispanic community and often served the department as an interpreter.

Those that knew him said that even as he closed in on his 12th full year on the job this month, he never lost his edge and kept the enthusiasm and the passion of a rookie officer.

“This kid came out of the academy at 100 mph,” said Capt. Patrick G. Mann, who was Colon’s first supervisory lieutenant in the Northeast District. “About three months in, I said, ‘Jose, you got to slow down a little, you’re not going to make it a year.’ ”

And Colon’s response? “He smiled.”

Mann, who now works in the training academy at Police Headquarters, said Colon was always excited about being a street cop and had a work ethic like no other.

“He went full bore, every call. The guy was out there all the time and he didn’t have an off-day,” Mann added.

“He’s one of those guys where, if you didn’t pay him, he’d still do the job.”

That earned Colon respect around the department and a slew of accolades.

Colon won the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association’s Officer of the Month Award numerous times, including:

• July 2001—Colon and three other officers apprehended three men holding two others at gunpoint inside a Sobieski Street house after responding to a call of a masked man with a gun.

• May 2002 — Colon and fellow Ferry- Fillmore Officer Molly Sanford chased down a shooting suspect on East Ferry Street at speeds of more than 50 mph after the suspect’s van nearly broadsided them. They later recovered his gun.

• June 2003 — Colon and Poisson arrested two suspects with guns within a week of each other. In one, the gunman leapt from a second-floor window onto Loepere Street and, in the other, the suspect jumped off a bicycle on Wasmuth Street, brandishing a revolver.

• November 2004 — Colon spotted an armed homicide suspect on Dodge Street, broadcast the man’s description and then chased him toward Gerhardt Street. The man entered an apartment occupied by a mother and five children. Backup arrived and the suspect was found in a bathroom and taken into custody. Police recovered three handguns, a bulletproof vest and crack cocaine.

Buffalo News archives and police reports detail numerous similar accounts where Colon chased down and collared armed suspects. It was what he did.

“He just wanted to clean up the streets,” Kwiatkowski said.

The PBA announced Colon’s death on its home page stating that he “was an active and respected police officer who served with high distinction and honor . . . (and) will be sadly missed.”

tpignataro@buffnews.com

Buffalo officer dies of injuries suffered in off-duty crash

By Brian Meyer and Gene Warner Buffalo News Staff Reporters July 24, 2009

When Jose A. Colon was given his police badge and began patrolling city streets 12 years ago, his family knew he was starting a dangerous job.

But they never imagined he would die while coming home from work at the hands of an alleged drunk driver.

Colon, a 39-year-old Orchard Park resident, died at about 1 p.m. today, nine hours after his SUV was struck on the Niagara Thruway. Police said the operator of the other vehicle, 21-year-old Raymond E. Jamison Jr. of Boston, was drunk.

Colon's relatives and friends gathered outside Erie County Medical Center this afternoon, some appearing dazed, while others fought back tears.

Patricia Schmidt, who has been married to the late officer's father for a decade, made a brief statement on the family's behalf.

"We believe that drinking and driving today in the United States is much more dangerous than drugs or gangs," Schmidt told reporters.

Jamison, who was not seriously injured, has been charged with driving while intoxicated and second-degree vehicular manslaughter. The latter charge could carry a term of up to seven years in prison. Investigators have not ruled out lodging other charges.

Schmidt said Colon's relatives are hoping justice will be done.

"We are hoping and praying that the driver of this vehicle is punished to the greatest extent of the law."

The officer's father, Jose Colon, spoke in a whisper, struggling to find words to describe his son.

"He was a good boy," said the father. "Very generous."

The officer grew up on Buffalo's Lower West Side and attended Hutchinson-Central Technical High School. He later attended Rochester Institute of Technology, relatives said.

The officer was divorced and has an 18-year-old son, said police officials.

Colon underwent surgery for internal wounds. He died in ECMC's Trauma Intensive Care Unit.

Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson described Colon as a "very active officer" who was assigned to the Mobile Response Unit. Gipson noted that Colon is the third city officer to die in the past five months. Earlier this year, Officers Richard D. Woods and Richard Cruz both died after suffering apparent heart attacks while off duty.

"This is being felt throughout the department," Gipson said. "It has shaken the entire department."

Jamison suffered non-life-threatening injuries, including facial cuts when his face struck the windshield. He was arraigned in Buffalo City Court this afternoon and remanded to the Erie County Holding Center on $50,000 bail.

Jamison had four passengers in his car, only one whom was seriously injured. Steven E. Pelc, 21, suffered head injuries in the crash, which occurred at about 4 a.m. on the southbound Niagara Thruway, between Smith and Clinton streets in South Buffalo.

Three passengers in the back seat of Jamison's vehicle were not seriously hurt. They were Alissa Beth Marshall, Katherine M. Pelc and Sarah Brothwell, all 19.

"We do know, based on our initial interviews, that they were downtown at some establishments," said State Police Captain Michael P. Nigrelli, who declined to identify the businesses until details could be confirmed.

Colon had his flashers on when the crash occurred, said Nigrelli, but it was unclear whether he was actually in traffic or starting to move from the shoulder.

Colon, who has worked in the Ferry-Fillmore District and more recently the Mobile Response Unit, joined the police force in 1997, according to computer records.

Colon had a reputation as a go-getter, an aggressive officer never afraid to get out of his patrol car and chase down a suspect when necessary.

At the 2005 Buffalo Police Benevolent Association dinner, he was honored as officer of the month from the previous November, for his work in chasing and catching a heavily armed young man.

While on night patrol near Jefferson Avenue, Colon spotted a teenage boy crossing the street and then pulling a black handgun from his waistband. The armed teen fled north on Dodge Street, then broke into an apartment occupied by a mother and five children on Gerhardt Street. Colon found the boy hiding in a bathroom, according to police reports. Backup officers helped subdue the teen, before confiscating three handguns, a bullet-proof vest and crack cocaine.

The Buffalo News archives are filled with numerous other stories involving Colon's arrests, often in cases where he chased and apprehended armed suspects, especially in the Ferry-Fillmore District.

Once, he and another officer even chased a man with a gun into a funeral home during a wake, in an incident that upset some people but earned the officers some praise in the department for aggressively pursuing an armed man.

Published in the Greater Niagara Newspapers from 7/25/2009 - 7/26/2009

911 faker gets 20 years for robbery

BUFFALO NEWS July 21, 2009, 7:12 AM /

Darrin Bonner Jr., who helped concoct the fake 911 robbery call that led to the death of a Buffalo police officer, was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison for his arrest in the same store moments after a knifepoint street crime six years later.

Bonner, 26, of Linwood Terrace, was sentenced on his robbery conviction for his role in the theft of about $50 from a woman in the 500 block of Linwood Avenue at about 8 p. m. last Oct. 28. He has been in jail since his arrest about 15 minutes later in the A-Plus Market at Delaware and West Delavan avenues.

Bonner was one of four men convicted of staging a fake 911 robbery call from that same store Oct. 30, 2002. Police Officer James Shields, a 36-year-old father of two, was killed when his patrol car crashed into a tree responding to that fake “bandits” call. Bonner and his cohorts had faked the 911 call to cover the theft of money from the store

Police arrest suspect in attempted murder

BUFFALO NEWS July 21, 2009, 7:08 AM /

A 23-year-old Buffalo man was arrested Sunday on an attempted-murder charge in the June 13 shooting of a Cheektowaga man.

Buffalo police say the shooting took place at 3:30 p. m. June 13 at the corner of Best and Ellicott streets, when a gunman fired several shots from a 9 mmhandgun at the victim.

Damon Erving, 20, who has a Cheektowaga address, was hit twice in the stomach and once in the chest.

Detective Sgt. Thomas J. Donovan and Detective Kevin T. Biggs arrested Victor M. Terrell at 11:45 a. m. Sunday at his Grey Street residence.

In addition to the second-degree attempted- murder charge, Terrell faces a charge of criminal possession of a weapon.

Police did not say what led them to Terrell nor did they release a motive in the shooting.

Terrell was arrested in May 2007 in a carjacking incident following a high-speed chase in which he drove the wrong way on the Niagara Thruway.

Threats prompt evacuation of City Hall, Police HQ

BUFFALO NEWS July 21, 2009, 7:08 AM /

A Buffalo man was arrested Monday afternoon after police say he called in fake bomb threats that forced the evacuation of City Hall and Buffalo Police Headquarters for one hour.

Christopher T. Taylor, 23, of Edison Street, is charged with two counts each of falsely reporting an incident, aggravated harassment and disorderly conduct, said Michael J. DeGeorge, a Buffalo police spokesman.

Someone called 911 from a public phone shortly before 1 p. m. to report first that there was a bomb at City Hall and then, in a second call, that there was a bomb at Police Headquarters.

The buildings were evacuated and searched by police and fire personnel with the aid of a bomb-sniffing dog.

At about 1:45 p. m., officials determined it was safe for employees to return after no device was found in either building.

Evidence soon led investigators to Taylor, DeGeorge said, though he declined say more.

DeGeorge did not immediately know the possible motive for the fake threat

Buffalo cop hospitalized after crash

BUFFALO NEWS July 20, 2009, 11:42 AM

A Buffalo police officer this morning continues to undergo treatment at Erie County Medical Center for head injuries he suffered in a car accident early Sunday.

The injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, Michael J. DeGeorge, a Buffalo police spokesman, said today.

The 29-year-old South District officer, whose name was not released, was responding to an emergency call at about 2:30 a.m. when the accident occurred.

The officer was driving east on Seneca Street through the intersection of Seneca and Smith streets when a driver in another vehicle traveling south on Smith broadsided the officer's patrol car.

No charges have been filed in the case.

Wave of violence continues, as 2 more shot overnight

Resident expresses shock as separate killings occur within 15 hours on East and West sides

By Jake May and Maki Becker buffalo NEWS STAFF REPORTER Updated: July 11, 2009

Bloodshed continued on the streets of Buffalo overnight as two men were shot early today, after three other men were shot dead between Thursday night and Friday afternoon.

The three fatal shootings marked the deadliest 15 hours for Buffalo streets.

The first to die was Markell J. Lewis, 27, of Crossman Avenue, who was fatally shot at about 11 p.m. Thursday while sitting in his vehicle on his street, near Buffalo's Schiller Park, city police said.

Henry Figueroa, 29, of Seventh Street, was shot at about 1:30 p.m. Friday while walking in the 100 block of Whitney Place on the city's West Side.

Brandon Haugabook, 19, of Willert Park, was shot about an hour later near Paderewski Drive and Townsend Street on the city's East Side.

"There doesn't appear to be anything to link the three murders, which occurred in different parts of the city," said Dennis J. Richards, chief of detectives. "It's newsworthy, but it's not unusual that you could have this [three murders so close in time] happen."

It was about a year ago when a streak of violence between noon July 5 and 12:20 a.m. July 6 left three people dead in separate attacks, all on the East Side. The first homicide victim was strangled, and the last two were shot.

The latest deaths have increased the city's total this year to 28. In contrast, the 22nd homicide occurred on this date last year.

"You hate to throw statistics out because these are people's lives," Richards said.

"We are at a higher pace than last year, but last year was much better than the year before and better even than the year before that."

No motives or suspects have been established in the latest slayings, and police are urging the public to call the Confidential TIPCALL Line with information. The number is 847-2255.

The two shootings early Saturday, neither of which were fatal, began at 1:09 a.m.

Andre Almond, 22, told police he was shot while he was being robbed of his gold chain. Almond was in the 100 block of Erb Street when he and two friends were approached by a man he described as a light-complected black man in his late teens or early 20s. He was of slim build, about 5 feet, 11 weighing 150 pounds and wearing a blue hat and a white T-shirt. He may have had braids.

The man put a black, long nose revolver to the victim's ribs and snatched the gold chain from his neck, Almond said. Almond then grabbed the charm off the gold chain and put it into his pocket, as the gunman took the safety off the weapon. The victim's friends ran away and the gunman shot Almond in the lower back.

Almond's friends, who were also robbed, drove him to Erie County Medical Center where has listed in fair condition late Saturday morning. One friend lost $100 in cash to the thief, the other lost his gold chain, $70 in cash and a cellphone taken.

Then at 3:57 a.m., Morris Singer III, whose age was not available, was walking into his residence on Colfax Avenue when a gunman came up behind him and shot him three times in the left leg. He suffered wounds to his lower part of his leg, knee and upper thigh. He was taken by Rural Metro ambulance to ECMC where was still in the emergency room at 9:30 a.m. He may have to undergo surgery, officials said.

Details of the latest homicide at Paderewski Drive and Townsend Street remained sketchy Saturday. Witnesses told police they heard several shots at about 2:30 p.m. Haugabook died a short time later.

On Whitney Place near Maryland Street an hour earlier, at least five shots were fired at Figueroa, who was dead by the time officers arrived, Richards said.

Detectives are looking into the possibility of a drive-by shooting and are searching for a vehicle.

A Whitney Place resident told The Buffalo News she heard gunshots and went outside, where she found neighbors huddled around Figueroa on the sidewalk.

"The shots sounded like a hammer or could have passed for loud fireworks. When I came outside, he was on the ground," said the woman, who asked to remain anonymous. "I was face to face with him, and he was still alive."

The woman, who has lived on Whitney Place for 18 years, said she had seen Figueroa in the neighborhood recently but did not know him.

"I just felt bad," the woman said. "I wanted him to get through it."

An 88-year-old woman who said she sits on her porch during the day, nearly every day, keeping tabs on the street's activities, said the neighborhood is not violent.

"I was shocked to see this," she said, also asking to remain anonymous.

Four vacant houses sit boarded up on the street, two near where Figueroa was gunned down.

"These vacants are a problem. The city needs to come in and tear them down," the elderly woman said. "I have seen boys selling drugs in them. They come in and out of the neighborhood. They need to demolish them once and for all."

Ismael Lopez, 64, and his wife just moved onto Whitney Place in early December. As he and a few dozen others gazed at the crime scene, he was thankful the shooting did not occur any later in the afternoon, as his grandchildren were coming to visit.

They played with one another on the front lawn laughing this afternoon as Lopez talked about how this one instance has transformed a once-quiet and quaint neighborhood into a fearful place to live.

"I need to make sure my family is safe. I mean, really, this shows me that anything can happen. Even to go and walk down the street isn't safe anymore," he said. "Some people, they don't care anymore. Whoever shot this man doesn't. Look at this. Shooting people in the streets in the middle of the day like that .What is this world coming to? Anything can happen. Jesus!"

Lewis was shot shortly after 11 p.m., sitting with another person in his vehicle on Crossman Avenue.

"At this point, we believe the victim was a front-seat passenger in a vehicle operated by another person," Richards said. "After the shooting, the driver fled the scene and hailed down a police officer a short distance away."

Lewis was pronounced dead at Domedion Avenue and Heminway Street which is around the corner from the shooting scene. That area is south of Genesee Street, a few blocks west of the city line.

Other law enforcement sources said Lewis had a drug record.

Late in February, according to police reports and Buffalo News stories, Lewis was charged with felony drug counts following a federal raid that led to the arrests of 34 people with alleged ties to a drug operation called the 31 Gang.

A fourth shooting, which was not fatal, occurred at about 10:30 p.m. Thursday at High and Lemon streets. There, Christopher Costner, 19, of Hempstead Avenue, was shot in the leg and treated in nearby Buffalo General Hospital.

jmay@buffnews.com

SUV driver is victim of carjacking on Walden

BUFFALO NEWS July 09, 2009, 7:09 AM

A man was the victim of a carjacking Wednesday on Walden Avenue, Ferry-Fillmore District police said.

The victim said that at about 5:15 p. m. while in the 100 block of Walden, he was approached by two men wearing red hooded sweat shirts who displayed a silver handgun.

The man, who was inside his 2002 Chevy Trailblazer, was told to get out of his truck. He complied, and the carjackers fled in the vehicle.

Man shot to death sitting in car near Schiller Park

By Gene Warner BUFFALO NEWS July 10, 2009

A man in his la te 20s was shot to death while sitting in a vehicle late Thursday night in Buffalo's Schiller Park neighborhood, city police said.

The shooting occurred shortly after 11 p.m., while the man and another person were sitting in the vehicle on Crossman Street.

"It appears that the victim was sitting in the passenger's seat when shots were fired from outside the vehicle, and the victim was struck," police spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge said.

DeGeorge did not have any information about how many times the man was struck and where on his body. Police have not yet released his name.

Detectives believe that the driver drove away, apparently to seek help, before stopping the vehicle around the corner, at Domedion Avenue and Hemingway Street.

T

he man who was shot was pronounced dead at the scene, south of Genesee Street, a few blocks west of the city line.

gwarner@buffnews.com

FOCUS:NEIGHBORHOOD GANGS

Among Buffalo's gangs a code of blood and 'honor'

By Deidre Williams NEWS STAFF REPORTER Updated: 07/05/09 11:59 AM

Curtis has been shot three times, and he’s only 22. A gang leader who has bossed the boys in the Box-Kehr streets area, Curtis is described by some as a “brutal young man.” Maybe seeing his 17-year-old brother Carl—a random victim—get shot in the face and watching him die in his arms had something to do with the molding his brutish personality. Andrew “stayed on the block” as a teenager, hanging with the 31 Gang, a local posse of neighborhood toughs in the Broadway area.

“There was some drugs, some guns and stuff [involved],” says the 20-year-old, who does not admit to carrying or shooting a gun himself.

Nineteen-year-old Jamod has been shot in the neck, but “it’s no big deal,” he says. After all, just about everyone he knows has been shot or stabbed at least once. Some are dead. Some are in prison.

That’s the gangsta life, the hustla life. That’s how it is for a lot of young kids on Buffalo’s streets—kids who are in search of a peculiar kind of honor and respect.

Local sources count more than 6,100 members in more than 40 “posses”— or gangs—scattered throughout the East and West sides and in South Buffalo. Most of the groups are “local and unorganized.”

A spate of gang-related killings, shootings and arrests prompted a Buffalo News reporter to spend the last four months reaching out to members to learn what motivates them and discover what makes them choose a path that puts them in life-threatening circumstances on a daily basis.

The names of the gang members have been changed to provide them anonymity that they requested out of fear of police or gang retribution. However, because youths often exaggerate their experiences, The News also sought to verify through police and courts the stories the gang members related.

The lives of the young men interviewed and others like them resemble those depicted in Hollywood movies or HBO gangsta series. Only this is not a dramatization. For these young men, the danger doesn’t end when the television is turned off.

The guns. The drugs. The violence. The beatings.

It’s all real for them, as real as bullets and blood.

Some—like Curtis, Andrew and Jamod—try to get out, with varying degrees of success.

Others, like 14-year-old Christian Portes, run out of time. Christian was shot to death just after midnight June 13 while riding his bike home from a party in his Lower West Side neighborhood.

About a year ago, he started down a path that involved gangs and run-ins with police, his family said. The night he was shot, he had snuck out of their Niagara Street house to attend a party.

“He made some mistakes; a lot of kids make mistakes. But [recently] he was doing better,” said his mother, Ruth Burgos.

In the gang life, though, “mistakes” can have deadly consequences.

“This game is real serious. We kill people. We sell drugs. We recruit young people to get in,” said 20-year-old Cosme, describing a lifestyle he says he has lived since he was 13. He said he is trying to get out.

Others glory in it. Buffalo police recently found on YouTube a video in which many of the young people in the video are masked and wave what appear to police to be assault rifles and pistols as they rap about the “cash chase.” It looks like something off of BET or MTV—but it was set in the Langfield public housing complex.

Chief of Detectives Dennis Richards would not comment on whether any of those in the brazen 

YouTube video are known to police.

“They obviously seem to be using gang symbolism, and all of this would be disturbing,” Richards said. While some might view the YouTube clip as “just a video,” he said this recording is “carrying it to another level.”

Deputy Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda says crime in every major category is down in the city since 2005, but that police still try to be proactive.

“There are a lot of things we start putting in place [in summer] to start dealing with what comes,” Derenda said, citing the addition of police details and strict enforcement of the curfew “to keep younger kids in the house.”

A sense of belonging

Christian Portes was violating curfew when he was killed.

For teens and young men in gangs, the way of life is not really a choice; it’s what they know—the way other teens know to go to school or adults know to go to work. They find a sense of belonging in places the rest of us don’t understand.

“They was doin’ robberies of other drug dealers, breaking and entering, and selling drugs, but they showed a young brother love,” said 22-year-old Anthony, explaining why he was drawn to the life. He’s had run-ins with the police but does not have a record.

J. Luis Acosta runs Urban Community Corporation for at-risk young adults. He knows firsthand the allure of the street because he was a gang leader when he lived on the Lower West Side and while he was in federal prison for shooting an FBI informant.

“We got into it looking for a father figure. Our friends embraced each other, we all came from broken homes,” Acosta said. “We were each others’ fathers, big brothers and mentors.”

Death is no deterrent because these kids don’t see the long view.

Even in mentoring sessions, some can be overheard planning to “hit the corner” and “make that paper”— earn drug money—as soon as the session is over.

The guns they carry—many brought in from states with lax gun laws—are easy to get if one has the right connections.

In many cases, the “OGs” (older or original gangstas) provide guns to the “YGs” (young gangstas). That’s so the older ones can avoid getting caught packing by police, and because juveniles don’t usually get prison time if caught with a weapon.

For Cosme, a connection to the Latin Kings was his birthright: His dad had been a Latin King, his mom a Latin Queen. One day when Cosme was hanging out on the West Side, a guy driving a nice car stopped him on the street and approached him about joining.

“He said he knew my dad and he could bless me [into the gang],” said Cosme.

Short of being blessed into a gang, there are other, less pleasant ways of joining.

Looking for respect

Sometimes they send a recruit on a mission with a gun, he and others said. Other times, they subject a potential member to a “jump.” That’s when a group surrounds the recruit and he must fight his way out. If the recruit survives, he’s in. If he doesn’t, they drape a flag over him.

“They still show you respect,” Cosme said.

Respect is one of the five jewels on the Latin Kings’ symbolic crown. The four other jewels represent honor, knowledge, obedience and sacrifice.

The gang lifestyle comes with its own rules, rituals and symbolism, including athletic or business logos that take on new meaning.

Gang experts say the Latin Kings adopted the logo of hockey’s Los Angeles Kings. The Crips adopted the logos of British Knights sneakers and Burger King fast food, but, for the gang, the initials “B” and “K” stand for Blood Killers.

The handshakes are also significant, especially when one is greeting a drug customer on the street in broad daylight: Welcome the customer with the drug in your palm, slap hands and give him a hearty handshake while transferring the product. “Slap ’em up,” is what it’s called.

No excuses, just facts

This is not the kind of life many of the young men would have chosen for themselves, but it’s what they know. They don’t make excuses. They simply tell the facts.

“Next door, we didn’t have doctors, lawyers, and in some cases, no parents,” said Acosta, whose Seventh Street nonprofit agency teaches at-risk clients marketable skills like construction and demolition.

Bob Kuebler runs the Youth With a Purpose program out of the Holy Cross Church Youth Center on Seventh Street. On his office wall, amid hundreds of pictures, poems and essays, are photos of Christian Portes in happier times.

“The kids say things like, ‘They have money to light up the Peace Bridge but no money to buy textbooks,’ ” Kuebler said. “It’s driven by economics. We send a message that building character and relationships is not important.”

Cosme is in Kuebler’s mentoring program. He says he does not want to be a gangbanger anymore, saying he’s seen “too many people getting hurt or killed over drugs or money.”

City Judge James A. W. McLeod has seen too many kids in court who “just need . . . someone they can sit and talk to”; someone “that has lived their life experience.” So he began a “youth court” in January, working with community groups and educators to provide services that can help teens escape the street life.

So far, about 200 kids have been steered into the youth court. McLeod said it’s too soon to assess the impact, but “if we can just save 10 to 15 percent, as opposed to losing 100 percent, that’s a ‘win’ for me.”

A lot to overcome

Curtis, Jamod, Andrew and Anthony are in mentoring and GED programs run by the Stop the Violence Coalition in the Ellicott-Masten YMCA. Andrew has landed a hotel job while working on his GED.

The program is in its fourth year, has graduated about 22 students and has a 90 percent success rate, said Arlee “Joop” Daniels Jr., a former gang leader who runs the program.

But when the young men walk out the doors of that—or any—program, they face the same poverty and joblessness, the same hopelessness, the same drug deals, the same guns that ensnared them in the first place.

That can be a lot to overcome.

Jamod, for example, slipped back in with the wrong crowd and now faces a drug possession charge.

“It doesn’t take much to get a young man riled up . . . and back into some of the things that got him in trouble in the first place,” Daniels said.

That’s also what happened to 18- year-old Fred Harris, who is in jail now on $100,000 bail for his part in two armed stickups, including a gunpoint robbery of a cab driver three months ago.

“He had two jobs, had enrolled in college. And then some part of the streets, peer pressure, sort of got the best of him,” Daniels said.

“I don’t feel good about it, but I understand it wholeheartedly because the system has not provided a lot of opportunities for young men who live in areas where the poverty is a lot more severe than in other areas.

“It’s heartbreaking, but we know that you can only do so much. You’re not going to be able to save them all.”

dswilliams@buffnews.com

Part of officer’s ear severed in attack by pit bull

BUFFALO NEWS 06/29/09 07:05 AM

A Buffalo police officer needed 34 stitches to reattach part of his right ear after he was attacked by a pit bull Saturday afternoon.

The attack occurred as Officer James Hosking was attempting to arrest James Gardner, 19, of Olympic Avenue, on a trespass charge.

When Gardner allegedly resisted the officer, his pit bull left its crate and attacked Hosking, according to a police report. Hosking was released after treatment in Erie County Medical Center.

Police initially were answering a trespass complaint when they found Gardner inside a house on Olympic Avenue from which he had been evicted in March, the police report said.

In addition to trespassing, Gardner was charged with second-degree assault, resisting arrest and second-degree obstructing governmental administration.

BUFFALO NEWS 06/11/09 11:30 AM 

Two men shot in a drive-by shooting at the intersection of Marshall and Bardol streets late Wednesday night were taken to Erie County Medical Center where they were treated and later released.

An 18-year-old Town of Tonawanda man and a 20-year-old Buffalo man said that while they were walking at the intersection at about 10:50 p.m. an occupant inside a sports utility vehicle began firing at them, according to Ferry-Fillmore District police.

District detectives said they recovered 15 shell casings from the scene

One victim dies after Tuesday's triple shooting on West Side

One victime dies a Police seek motive in afternoon attack

Lou Michel BUFFALO NEWS STAFF REPORTER 06/09/2009

One of the three men shot Tuesday afternoon on the city's West Side died shortly afterward, Buffalo homicide detectives said today.

John T. Rockmore, 24, of the 300 block of Breckenridge Street, was shot in the stomach in the attack at about 1:50 p.m. and died at Millard Fillmore Hospital at 3:55 p.m. Tuesday, detectives said.

The other victims were Desmond Green, 24, of the 300 block of West Delavan Avenue, and Jesus Rivera-Rios, 25, of the 100 block of Baitz Avenue. green was shot in the back and Rivera-Rios was hit in the stomach and arm. They were taken to Erie County Medical Center and were expected to live.

The shootings occurred on the 200 block of West Delavan, just east of Grant Street. Police believe a lone gunman shot the three and then fled. They do not yet know if the gunman had a car or was on foot.

A motive for the shootings has not yet been established and police are appealing to the public to help them in their investigation. Information can be reported to the force's confidential tip line at 847-2255.

Green, who was listed in serious condition today, was shot in front of 272 West Delavan, and he collapsed on the sidewalk and front step. Rivera-Rios and Rockmore were shot in the street, a short distance from Green. Green's uncle, Lenny Green, said his nephew had never been in trouble.

“Someone tried to rob them," Lenny Green said. "I heard they pulled up in a white car and said, ‘Drop it.’ ”

He continued: “To me, it’s just tragic. Bad things happen to good people. My nephew doesn’t have a record, he’s not involved in street gang life, and he’s worked as a security guard.”

lmichel@buffnews.com

Two arrested with loaded guns

BUFFALO NEWS 06/08/09 11:23 AM

Two separate arrests involving loaded weapons were made early today and late Sunday by Ferry-Fillmore District police.

At 3 a.m. today, officers arrested Gregory K. Laster, 19, on the 100 block of Schuele Avenue after a foot chase through a series of yards.

During the pursuit, police said, they saw the Schuele Avenue resident discard a loaded handgun, which was later recovered and had three bullets in it. Laster was charged with criminal possession of a weapon. Officers involved in the arrest included Adam O'Shei, Mark Goodspeed, Brian Griffin and Dennis Gilbert.

At 10 p.m. Sunday, Griffin and Gilbert arrested Eric S. Johnson, 16, of the first block of Gerhardt Street, for possession of a handgun at Dodge Street and Roehrer Avenue. There was one bullet in the chamber and 15 in the magazine, the officers said.

Police say man pulled knife while resisting arrest

BUFFALO NEWS 05/31/09

A Rodney Avenue man was arrested late Friday and charged with resisting arrest and several other counts after he allegedly pulled a knife on police officers while struggling with them, police said.

Officers said they were investigating “neighbor trouble” at the Rodney Avenue address when they were confronted by Michael Smith, 19. As the officers approached him, he pulled out a knife, a police report said. Officers struggled with Smith for two to three minutes before he was handcuffed. He then refused to get into the police car, kicking at the legs of the officers, the report said.

He was charged with resisting arrest, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, obstructing governmental administration and two counts of disorderly conduct.

Multiple offender found guilty in robbery

By Matt Gryta

BUFFALO NEWS STAFF REPORTER Updated: 05/23/09 10:46 AM

A Linwood Avenue man, who was arrested last October in the same convenience store where he had helped concoct a fake 911 robbery call that led to the death of a Buffalo police officer, has been convicted of robbery.

Darrin Bonner Jr., 26, was found guilty by a jury following about five hours of deliberation after a four-day trial before State Supreme Court Justice Penny M. Wolfgang.

Bonner, who has been in jail since his arrest about 15 minutes after last year’s knifepoint crime, became visibly dejected as the verdict was announced. The judge remanded him pending his July 17 sentencing.

Prosecutor Brian K. Parker said he will urge Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III to recommend the judge impose the maximum-allowable 25-year prison term for the crime. Bonner, who did not take the witness stand, faces at least 10 years behind bars because of his earlier conviction.

The 20-year-old robbery victim Wednesday told the jury she gave her wallet containing about $50 to a second robber as Bonner held a curved knife to her neck and demanded her money after she was confronted on Linwood near Lafayette avenues Oct. 28.

The second person, who had run off with the wallet, was never identified, and the wallet was never recovered, the jury learned.

In closing arguments, Dell insisted Bonner had been the victim of mistaken identity, and he questioned the victim’s credibility on her description of the knife held to her throat.

Dell said he will appeal the conviction.

Bonner was arrested in the same A-Plus Market at Delaware and West Delavan avenues involved in the 2002 on-duty death of Police Officer James Shields. He was killed when his patrol car crashed into a tree as he tried to avoid hitting another vehicle while chasing the non-existent fleeing robbers Bonner and his cohorts described.

According to state prison and court records, Bonner was released on parole from the Groveland Correctional Facility Oct. 29, 2004, 13 months after State Supreme Court Justice Joseph

F. Forma sentenced him to a two-year prison term on his felony false reporting plea in the Shields case.

The fake 911 call had reportedly been crafted by Bonner and his cohorts to cover their theft of money from the store.

mgryta@buffnews.com

Lengthy prison terms levied in attempted murder case

By Matt Gryta

Buffalo News Staff Reporter Updated: 05/20/09

Two East Side men today were sentenced to long terms in state prison for trying to kill a Buffalo police officer during a high-speed car chase.

Michael A. Carr and Demetrius McGee, both 21, were sentenced by Erie County Judge Shirley Troutman for their actions during an incident on May 15, 2008.

Buffalo police began chasing them after they allegedly fired from their sport utility vehicle at houses and cars in the Cambridge Avenue area.

Carr, of Perkins Place, was ordered to serve 30 years to life term on his April 14 jury conviction for first-degree attempted murder.

The Erie County district attorney's office identified Carr as the gunman who hung out the passenger side window of the vehicle, repeatedly firing at houses and then at Officer Ronald J. Clark.

McGee, also 21, of South Division Street, was ordered to serve 25 years to life on his first-degree attempted murder conviction. He was identified as the driver who tried to escape when Clark and other officers tried to arrest them after a 7 p.m. shooting spree on Cambridge Avenue.

The two defendants were arrested when they abandoned and fled from their vehicle in downtown Buffalo about an hour after the shootings.

Neither of the defendants spoke during their sentencings but both raised their handcuffed hands to show solidarity with several of their supporters as they were led from the packed courtroom.

Troutman chided McGee, a high school dropout, for driving through a populated area at speeds up to 100 mph.

Stressing that DNA evidence on both a hat and a handgun found after the shooting contained Carr's DNA, the judge denounced him for what she called his "depraved" disregard for human life.

Prosecutor Max Humann urged the judge to impose the maximum 40-year-to-life terms on each of the men for endangering the lives of police officers and citizens, including children. Authorities said the motive for the shooting spree is still unknown to law enforcement.

With both defendants appealing the convictions, Joseph J. Terranova, McGee's attorney, told the judge he still cannot understand why his client turned down a pre-trial plea deal that would have seen him facing only a maximum seven-year prison term.

Robert Ross Fogg, Carr's attorney, insisted that Andre B. Goldsmith, 20, of Bissell Avenue, who is still jailed and facing trial on only weapons and reckless endangerment charges in the case, was the actual shooter.

mgryta@buffnews.com

Tip leads to arrest for selling drugs from taxi

BUFFALO NEWS 05/07/09

A tip to police lead to the arrest Wednesday of a cab driver selling drugs from his vehicle in the Northeast District.

Renford P. Courtland, 33, of the 700 block of East Delavan Avenue, was stopped by Officer Joseph Wendel at about 5:45 a.m. after he failed to signal when making a turn at the intersection of Davidson and Bickford avenues, the officer said, describing when he had spotted the green taxi.

In inspecting the cab, Wendel said he found 17 bags of crack cocaine. He also determined that Courtland lacked a permit to work as a cab driver.

Renford was charged with criminal possession and intention to sell a controlled substance.

Officer Daniel Owczarczak assisted in the arrest.

Suspect quickly captured in Broadway shooting death

By Jay Tokasz Buffalo News Staff Reporter

A 37-year-old Buffalo man was shot several times early this morning near a Broadway parking lot and was later pronounced dead in Erie County Medical Center.

Buffalo police quickly apprehended a suspect, Timothy Sanders, 29, of May Street, near the scene. The shooting was the 16th homicide in Buffalo this year.

Sanders was charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

Officer Mark Goodspeed was on routine patrol at about 4 a.m. when he heard gunshots coming from near a parking lot at 1478 Broadway.

Goodspeed responded to the sound and saw Sanders running from the lot. Upon seeing the officer, the suspect tossed a handgun to the ground, police said.

Goodspeed tackled Sanders and took him into custody. He was assisted by Officers Brian O. Griffin and Dennis Gilbert.

The shooting victim, whose name was being withheld by police, was rushed by ambulance to ECMC, where he was pronounced dead.

Police said they don't have a motive for the shooting yet.

"For reasons yet unknown, the suspect had shot at the 37-year-old victim, striking him several times. He was attempting to flee the scene when he was spotted by the alert Officer Goodspeed," said Chief of Detectives Dennis J. Richards.

Police recovered a .25 caliber handgun that they believe is the murder weapon.

Recuperating detective helps rescue woman

By Lou Michel NEWS STAFF REPORTER

Lilton L. Kelley, a Buffalo detective recovering from surgery, was headed to physical therapy Tuesday afternoon when he came across a burning house on Janet Street.

As flames and smoke poured out of the structure’s second floor, he stopped and tried to alert the occupant to get out.

When that failed, he and an on-duty officer went into the burning home to rescue a woman.

“I called 911 and assumed someone was in the house, and so I took my cane and began banging on all the doors,” said Kelley, who recently had a hip replacement.

Despite the frantic efforts, Kelley was unable to get a response.

But help arrived. Northeast District Police Officer George Fletcher pulled up, and Kelley, who is not up to full strength because of his surgery, shouted instructions.

“Grab that log,” Kelley said pointing to a landscaping timber. “I held open the screen door, and George broke open the door window with the log.” They then rushed inside.”

“As soon as we gained entry, the lady was coming toward us to answer the door. She said, ‘What’s going on?’ and I said, ‘There’s a fire. You gotta get out of here.’ She had no shoes on,” Kelley recalled. “We got her out and put her in Officer Fletcher’s patrol car.”

Firefighters arrived just as the three were coming out the burning house, and one of the first reports the firefighters radioed into dispatch was that the occupant had gotten out of the house unharmed.

“Whether you’re off duty or on duty, you have to do what you have to do to make sure everyone is safe,” Kelley said.

He wound up missing his physical therapy appointment at the University at Buffalo but said it was for a good cause.

“I’ll just have to reschedule it,” Kelley said. “The woman thanked me, and so did her neighbors.”

The rescued woman was identified as Sharee McIlwain.

Kelley phoned in the fire at 50 Janet, between Davidson Avenue and Eggert Road, at 12:49 p. m. 

Firefighters said it started on the second floor, and the cause remains under investigation. Damage was estimated at $85,000.

lmichel@buffnews.com

Off-duty cop kills one intruder, wounds another

By Gene Warner News Staff Reporter 04/22/09

An off-duty Buffalo police officer shot two burglars, one fatally, at the officer's home in the Kensington-Bailey area this morning, police said.

The double shooting occurred about 9:25 a.m. at a home on Burlington Avenue, after police said the officer heard someone trying to break in at his side door.

"The off-duty officer was home at the time, heard the commotion and shot the two intruders," Chief of Detectives Dennis J. Richards said late this morning.

Police would not identify the police officer or the two people shot, but officials said the man who was killed was 36 years old. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Erie County Medical Center.

The other man who was shot also was taken to ECMC, where he was undergoing emergency surgery late this morning.

Detectives still are looking for a third person who may have been involved in the burglary attempt, but they're not sure of that person's role in the crime.

The off-duty police officer used his personal weapon in the shootings, officials said.

Homicide detectives and the police department's Professional Standards Division both are investigating the shootings. Police officers still at the scene late this morning were taking the side door from the scene as a piece of evidence.

Burlington Avenue is a small L-shaped street that runs east from Olympic Avenue, before running north and south, just west of Bailey Avenue, a few blocks south of Kensington Avenue.

BUFFALO NEWS Updated: 03/31/09

An early-morning poker game in the North End Restaurant on the 1400 block of Hertel Avenue ended abruptly when two robbers upped the ante.

The thieves entered the restaurant through a side door and attempted to rob the card players at 12:05 a.m. today, according to Northwest District police.

When one of the crooks proved he wasn't bluffing and displayed two handguns, the eight card players ran from the restaurant, leaving behind their bets. 

Police said an undetermined amount of money was taken and no shots were fired.

Teen fires shot while being chased by cops

BUFFALO NEWS 03/29/09 10:21 AM

A Buffalo teenager, accused earlier this month of threatening a family with a firearm, fired a gun during a brief foot chase with police on Saturday night, according to a city police report.

Marqual Q. Goree, 16, faces four felony counts following his arrest on Oxford Avenue, near Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital.

Goree, of Parkdale Avenue, was approached by officers on Oxford, ran north and fired one shot from a .38 caliber revolver before dropping the gun. He was apprehended on Oxford between West Balcom Street and Lafayette Avenue at about 11:20 p.m., according to a report.

Goree was charged with two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and obstructing governmental administration.

Police had been called to the area for the report of a man with a gun.

Goree was arrested earlier this month by Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority police after he and three other men allegedly threatened a woman and her family with guns.

In the March 5 incident, Goree, Chaz C. Davis, 19, of Humber Avenue, and Marcus A. Glover, 24, of West Balcom, allegedly threatened the family on Oxford and West Ferry Street.

Goree was charged with menacing, promoting prison contraband and unlawful possession of marijuana. At the time, NFTA police said the arrested parties were members of a gang.

Richard D. Woods

Buffalo Police Expert on Gangs

Woods, who most recently worked in the department's training academy at the 74 Franklin St. headquarters, was a decorated officer who sat as an expert on several local panels on gang activity.

He served as the vice president of the Western Chapter of the East Coast Gang Investigators Association. Those who knew him called Woods' death a "tremendous loss" to the community and his profession.

Woods was apparently stricken in his driveway about 4 p.m. and rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, Cheektowaga, where he died. Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson was at the hospital with Woods' family, police said. Buffalo News  03/06/09

Two Teachers Accused of Having Sex With Same Student In Utah

Separate relationships alleged with 13-year-old high school student

By  DANIEL MACHT Updated 10:30 PM PDT, Sat, Mar 7, 2009

Two junior high school teachers in Utah have been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting the same 13-year old boy, according to a newspaper report. 

The inappropriate student-teacher relationships involved Utah studies teacher and cheerleading adviser Linda R. Nef, 46 and Valynne Bowers, 39, a math teacher, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. 

Both Bountiful Jr. High teachers did not know the other was carrying on an affair with the student until recently, Bountiful Police Lt. Randy Pickett told the Tribune.

Nef reportedly met with police and said that she had been having sex with the boy for over a year, police said. She then told police about the boy's subsequent relationship with Bowers, who later confirmed it

By TOM HAYS 03/07/09 Associated Press Writer

Two former New York police detectives convicted of moonlighting as contract killers in eight mob hits were sentenced Friday to life in prison after telling a judge they were innocent.

"I was a hard-working cop," Louis Eppolito told U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein in federal court in Brooklyn. "I never hurt anybody. I never kidnapped anybody. ... I never did any of this."

Eppolito was sentenced to life in prison for his conspiracy conviction plus 100 years for various other offenses including money laundering, and fined $4.7 million. Stephen Caracappa received a life term plus 80 years, and a $4.2 million fine.

Eppolito has been sentenced to life in prison on Friday, March 6, 2009, for his conviction in eight gangland murders. Prosecutors said Eppolito and fellow detective Stephen Caracappa moonlighted as hitmen for the Luchese crime family while on the force during the 1980s.

Eppolito, 61, and Caracappa, 67, had worked as partners on the police force and logged a combined 44 years on the job. They were found guilty of secretly being on the payroll of Luchese underboss Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso starting in the 1980s. 

Prosecutors said the pair used their police credentials to make traffic stops that ended with the driver killed. They also said the officers kidnapped a man suspected in an attempted mob hit against Casso and turned him over to a mobster responsible for 36 slayings.

The former detectives also were accused of providing bad information that led to the mistaken-identity murder of an innocent man killed as his mother washed the dishes following a Christmas Day family dinner.

Eppolito and Caracappa were arrested during a 2005 drug sting in Las Vegas, where they had retired.The case had been marked by legal twists, including the judge's 2006 decision to throw out a conviction after finding that the statute of limitations had expired on the slayings. An appeals court reversed the decision last year, clearing the way for the sentencing.

U.S. Attorney Benton Campbell said in a statement that he hoped the sentences would bring closure "for the families of the victims of these defendants' unspeakable crimes and for the citizens of the city whose trust they betrayed."

Vincent Lino, the son of one of the victims, told the former officers: "May you have a long life in prison."

Buffalo Police Officer Patty Parete, wounded in Dec. 2006, goes home

After months of delays,wounded police officeris about to move intoher custom-built houseand closer to a new life

By Gene Warner News Staff Reporter 03/08/09

This is a story about a newly built raised-ranch home in Niagara County—and the hope it offers a wounded Buffalo police officer who hasn’t caught a lot of breaks in the last few years.

It’s a gorgeous new home, a 2,300- square-foot house, complete with a roll-in shower, lower countertops and light switches, hardwood floors and wider hallways to accommodate Buffalo Police Officer Patricia A. Parete and her wheelchair.

The home in the Town of Pendleton is almost finished, and Parete and her partner, Maryellen Opalinski, plan to move there in the next couple weeks.

Parete was critically wounded when she was shot on duty in December 2006, and she still has no real use of her hands, arms or legs. She talks clearly and moves her head back and forth. She also can access a computer, by using her mouth to aim a stylus (a pointed instrument) at her computer screen.

But she’s also had some recent physical setbacks, and she hasn’t been up and around much since October because of lingering gastrointestinal infections.

“I think this house symbolizes hope,” Opalinski said inside the couple’s new home. “Patty sees this house as a new chapter in her life. Now we can focus on her abilities, not her disabilities.”

Parete often talks to Opalinski about things she’s going to do “once I’m in the house.”

“We have so much catching up to do to get her back to where she was a year ago,” Opalinski said last week. “She needs something to give her a gentle nudge—this house.”

In a practical sense, the new home will end the nomadic existence that Parete and Opalinski have faced since that awful night, Dec. 5, 2006. 

“It means getting some normalcy back in our life,” Opalinski said, referring to little things like getting their dogs and parrot back home with them.

The new home—back on track now after some long delays tied to the former builder—also is a testament to Western New Yorkers’ generosity, a roughly $350,000 home built with the dollars and sweat from Buffalonians who rushed to Parete’s aid after she was shot on duty on West Chippewa Street.

“I think it’s clearly the result of an outpouring of support for Patty Parete in recognition of her sacrifice to the city of Buffalo,” said Stephen J. Schop, an attorney who represents Parete and Opalinski. “It is a place where she can live the rest of her life in dignity and safety.”

And it’s a tangible symbol of the more than $500,000 that has been raised in benfits and donations for Parete and fellow Police Officer Carl Andolina, who was shot the same night. Andolina has directed attorney Thomas H. Burton, who manages the fund, to funnel all the contributions to Parete’s care.

But this isn’t an entirely heartwarming story.

Parete and Opalinski figured to move into their home last fall, after construction began in April. But their previous builder has been accused of overcharging the couple on some items, failing to pay some subcontractors and failing to finish the home in reasonable time.

“What happened here is one step away from scamming Mother Teresa,” Burton said.

No one, though, has claimed publicly that any crimes were committed.

Last fall, a small community of builders, attorneys and subcontractors came together quickly to help get the building project back on track.

So the story of Parete’s and Opalinski’s new home is a story of dramatic ups and downs. A tragic and violent incident led to an outpouring of support and dollars from a close-knit community. A builder’s problems led to major delays and more frustration. Then the team of attorneys, builders and subcontractors rode to the rescue.

“The Taj Mahal couldn’t make up for what happened injury- wise to Patty,” Burton said. “But maybe this house will make the everyday challenges Patty and Maryellen face a little easier.”

The heroes here are attorneys Schop and Burton, along with Richard, Barbara and Robert Tesmer from Tesmer Builders and a group of subcontractors, who donated materials or gave sizable discounts.

“I look at this basically as a beautiful story,” said Schop, an attorney with Harris Beach.

“Patty and Maryellen were taken advantage of, but we were able to get in soon enough to limit the damage,” he added. “While we’re angry that anyone would take advantage of someone in Patty Parete’s condition, or Maryellen Opalinski’s situation as her caregiver, the truth is they haven’t paid for the same nail twice. They know they’re moving into a house that is well built and will meet their special health-related needs.”

Following the delays with the other contractor, the Tesmers went to the house last October, hooked up a sump pump to remove more than a foot of standing water from the basement and signed a management contract to finish the job.

The Tesmers determined that roughly $100,000 worth of work remained. Various subcontractors, including Candlelight Cabinetry and Buffalo Granite, donated materials or provided 5 percent to 10 percent discounts or equipment upgrades. And two individuals, kitchen designer Don Cotler of Kitchen World and Danise Levine, an architect with the University at Buffalo, joined Team Parete/Opalinski to help with the details.

“We just wanted to finish the house for her [Parete],” Richard Tesmer said. “What happened to her was a bad reflection on the building community. We wanted to finish it as quickly as possible and do a good job.”

The Tesmers assured the subcontractors that they would be paid for their work. But that didn’t take much convincing.

“They all wanted to make sure that they donated something,” Robert Tesmer said. “They didn’t want to take advantage of anything.”

The attorneys and builders who took over the project claim that the first general contractor, Sciandra Building and Construction, ran short of funds while building the home.

Records compiled by the attorneys and contractors show that Sciandra was paid $217,000 in four “draws,” between December 2007, when the building contract was signed, and last September. 

Those draws are partial payments typically made at various stages of the construction process.

Parete also paid an additional $5,000 to Sciandra, according to those records. But during the building process, subcontractors began attaching liens to the house, and those who took over the project claim that subcontractors never received $40,000 of what they were due.

Sciandra has been accused of some unreasonable building practices, such as putting on drywall with at least a foot of water in the basement, with no basement floor and no heat. Those who worked with Parete and Opalinski also complained about several unreasonable charges from Sciandra, including an excessively high $18,500 for filling in the lot.

“If he has done anything wrong, I would say he has overcharged for certain matters, and when he received money, he failed to pay a handful of subcontractors who had done the work,” Schop said.

Opalinski had harsh words for Michael Sciandra from Sciandra Building and Construction.

“He took advantage of a police officer that the city has embraced and cared for. He didn’t just take from Patty. He took from the people who gave money to Patty for her quality of life. It’s shameful.”

The telephone number for Sciandra Building and Construction has been temporarily disconnected, and the principal’s attorney, John Garas, declined to comment Friday.

Opalinski’s thoughts are more focused on her partner, and what the house can mean for her. The home was designed to help Parete be as independent as possible.

“In a house like this, if she can roll up to a toggle switch and use her shoulder to turn the light on, it will improve the quality of her life, improve her self-esteem and make her more independent,” said Levine, the architect. “That also will motivate her to work harder.”

No one knows how much Parete can improve.

“I don’t stop hoping,” Opalinski said. “I just want something more than she has now.”

And that’s why the new home is so important.

“It gives us a future,” Opalinski said. “We really have been stagnant for so long. This is the boost Patty needs.”

gwarner@buffnews.com

Fewer Murders Are Still Too Many

Intensive crime-fighting, community outreach and health carereduced the deaths, but drugs and guns remain deadly factors

By T. J. Pignataro NEWS STAFF REPORTER Updated: 01/03/09 07:05 AM

Even one homicide is too many.

That’s been the sentiment Mayor Byron W. Brown, Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson and homicide detectives have repeated for nearly three years.

They acknowledge, however, two years after one of the bloodiest years on record, things are headed in the right direction.

There were 37 homicides in 2008. That’s down by 33 percent from last year when there were 55 homicides and by half from the decade-high 74 that were recorded in 2006. In fact, 2008 ended as the third-lowest number of homicides in Buffalo in 20 years.

A lot of factors made it happen. Intensive crime-fighting efforts and community outreach are keys to the dramatic decrease, authorities point out, while also acknowledging the important role played by trauma doctors performing “miracles” at Erie County Medical Center .

“We’ve got a little luck in there, but we’re also doing the right things,” said Daniel Derenda, deputy police commissioner. “We need to continue to do what we have to to keep crime and homicide down.

“Realistically, we’re not going to be able to stop every one,” he said, “but, we’ll try.”

In other cities across the nation, homicide figures in 2008 varied considerably.

Detroit was set to record its lowest number of homicides in four decades, according to the Detroit Free Press, and homicide numbers also fell in Rochester , Philadelphia , Baltimore , Cleveland and Miami .

Homicide totals were, however, up dramatically in places like Columbus and Toledo , Ohio — 37 and 54 percent, respectively — as well as in Syracuse , 19 percent; Pittsburgh , 28 percent; and Chicago , 14 percent, according to reports.

Of the 2008 homicides in Buffalo , 15 — or about 41 percent — were cleared by arrest or other means, police said. The Cold Case Squad also resolved 17 old homicides in 2008, making 12 arrests.

City officials were quick to heap praise on residents who, they say, have come forward to provide police and prosecutors with the information they need to take killers off the streets and keep them in jail.

“The community is getting involved and saying ‘enough is enough,’ ” Brown said.

Brown should know. Late in 2007, after two teenagers were mowed down in a hail of gunfire outside an East Side store, Brown launched his own door-to- door anti-crime initiative, dubbed WAVE for Working Against Violent Events.

The effort continued in 2008 and, in August, Brown, top police brass and city religious and community leaders took to the streets following the slaying of 14-year-old Nancylia Salter on Hagen Street and a series of shootings near a West Side community center.

Outrage over Nancylia’s death seemed to unite neighbors once reluctant about going to authorities with information. The teenage girl died after being struck in the back by gunfire directed at a group of more than two dozen neighborhood kids about 8:30 p. m. Aug. 26.

Omar Fraticelli-Lugo, 19, became the city’s 30th homicide victim on Sept. 15 when he was gunned down in an apparent drive-by shooting on Busti Avenue . Two days later, in front of the nearby Belle Community Center , another 19-year-old male was shot. He survived his injuries.

The WAVE efforts seemed to have paid off. Arrests have been made in three of the four homicides after citizens contacted police with tips. Only Fraticelli- Lugo’s case remains unsolved.

Public action, combined with a crackdown on illegal drugs and street gangs along with Brown’s gun buyback program, willingness to commit overtime expenditures to homicide investigations and partnerships with anti-violence groups, have built a recipe for success, authorities say.

“The relentless effort to rid the streets of illegal narcotics has kept the drug dealers on their toes,” said Richards, who pointed to a study suggesting that 16 percent of the general population commits 60 percent of the crime — including homicides.

“If you concentrate your efforts, you’re going to get results,” he said.

For the second straight year, police have executed more than 1,000 search warrants for illegal drugs and weapons. By comparison, only a little more than 100 narcotics raids were conducted in 2005.

“Our intensive efforts in cracking down on narcotics have driven down the numbers in the other categories, including homicide,” said Derenda, who added that about 4,500 guns have been seized by police during raids or collected in gun buyback programs in the last three years.

The drastic drop in the number of slayings brought Buffalo ’s homicide rate in 2008 to about 13.6 per 100,000 residents, lower than several metropolitan centers. Homicide rates per 100,000 were higher in Cleveland , 23.3; Cincinnati , 22.6; Pittsburgh , 23.5; Syracuse , 18.0; Rochester , 20.3; and Columbus , Ohio , 14.4.

In contrast, New York City ’s rate was 6.1 per 100,000 residents.

The 37 homicides in Buffalo last year are the lowest since there were 32 in 1999. No criminal homicides were recorded during October and the city went 44 days without a single homicide from Sept. 24 to Nov. 6.

Of the 2008 victims, 29 were male and 8 were female.

The youngest was the infant daughter of 19-year-old Erie Community College student Alicia Zebrun, who put the newborn baby in a shoe box and left it in a garbage tote on Hopkins Street in September. Zebrun faces one to three years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

The oldest victim, Cheryl Booker, 51, of Girard Place , died Sept. 15 after being shot inside a Fillmore Avenue tavern.

The city’s lone double homicide of 2008 occurred Aug. 24 in an apartment on Sanders Road in North Buffalo . There, Loren Hinkle, 26, of Donaldson Road , and Dhanika McDaniel, 25, of Sanders Road were shot at close range, execution-style, in an apparent drug-related retaliation, police said.

Authorities admit there’s plenty of work to be done, especially in terms of gunplay. Despite efforts to reduce the number of illegal guns on the street, officials said there were about as many shootings in 2008 as the two previous years.

Of the 37 homicide victims, 30 died from gunshots.

Three more deaths occurred by shooting in 2008 but are not classified as “criminal homicides,” police said. They were:

• Marvin Sullivan, 43, who was killed July 29 on Kay Street when he was shot by a Niagara County sheriff’s deputy during a drug raid in which he apparently pointed a shotgun at police.

• Mitchell Woodruff, 21, who, in attempting an Oct. 21 home invasion on Wohlers Avenue , was shot in the chest by Marcus Mitchell, 18. Mitchell was deemed to be defending himself and was charged with weapons possession.

• Kelvin Rodolph, 15, who was shot dead Oct. 24 attempting to rob off-duty Buffalo Police Officer Lamar McCulley at East Delavan Avenue and Grider Street.

Police said the death of Shantin “Tina” Grant, the 16- year-old girl missing for a week in July before her body was found on Koons Avenue , remains classified as a “suspicious death.” The case, Richards said, has not been declared a homicide by the Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office.

News Staff Reporter Aaron Beseckercontributed to this report.

tpignataro@buffnews.com