buffalo police

An arrest by Buffalo Police has ended a lengthy search for a suspected bank robber.

Fifty-one year old Gabriel Mills has been apprehended and will be charged in connection with two hold-ups. He is the suspect in an April heist at the Key Bank at Fountain Plaza and a May robbery at the HSBC office at Lafayette Square.

Police came upon Mills while investigating an unrelated incident in North Buffalo.

Buffalo Police are seeking the public's help in solving a murder case.

Investigators report that a male, believed to be in his late 20's, was found dead from gunshot wounds in an apartment on the 200 block of Person Street Friday night. Police believe that one or more assailants shot the victim inside the residence.

Anyone with information is being asked to call the confidential tip line at 847-2255.

A gun-wielding suspect was wounded after scuffling with a Buffalo police officer.

In a written statement, Chief of Detectives Dennis Richards said 19-year-old Lamont Cooper was shot in the leg after the struggle placed "the officer in imminent fear for his life."

Cooper was taken to Erie County Medical Center for treatment for what is being called a "non-life threatening injury."

The incident is under investigation by Internal Affairs and the Homicide Squad. 

Cooper faces several charges including resisting arrest and menacing a police officer.

Police responded to reports of shots fired in Buffalo's Kensington neighborhood overnight.

Two people are reported to have been injured in the early morning hours along the 200 block of Manhattan Avenue. Neither individual suffered a life threatening injury. Police do have a person of interest in custody and they are questioning the individual.

No charges have been filed at this time.

The samurai-sword wielding robber of a North Buffalo gas station/convenience store remains at large.  Mayor Byron Brown says the investigation of the armed hold-up at Hertel and Colvin avenues early Tuesday is continuing. 

Also, Brown says Homicide Detectives are still looking for a suspect in a deadly shooting near the Entertainment District.  Police say 27-year-old James Henley died early Sunday after being shot in a parking lot near South Elmwood and Johnson Parkway. 

Buffalo Police responded to an accident that involved one of their own vehicles on Saturday.

An officer was responding to a call in the early afternoon hours when his cruiser was struck by another car at the intersection of Koons and Walden Avenue. Both drivers were treated at ECMC. The officer has been released, but the condition of the other driver remains unknown.

No charges have been filed at this time.

After searching all night, Buffalo Police say a man who jumped into the Buffalo River at Canalside Sunday night was located Monday and is safe.

BPD spokesman Mike DeGeorge says in a statement police are looking at the possibility that the individual may have swam to safety. The incident remains under investigation

Earlier Monday, Buffalo Police said the 45-year-old Lancaster man, who has not been publicly identified, was apparently intoxicated when he jumped into the river near the U.S.S. Little Rock around 11 p.m. 

The public once again is being asked for information regarding a shooting death in the city of Buffalo.

Police report a thirty-year-old man was shot multiple times along Goodyear Avenue Sunday afternoon.

The victim was taken to Erie County Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Though police are withholding the victim's name until family can be notified, the Buffalo News reports the man had been recently released from jail.

Those with information are asked to call the Tip Line at 847-2255.

Buffalo Police are providing more details from an early Sunday morning incident in which an officer shot and injured a suspect.

The suspect, 17-year-old Wilson Morales, remains in Erie County Medical Center for treatment of wounds suffered when he was fired at by officers on French at Moselle Streets on the city's east side.

The incident occur around 2:40 a.m. Sunday.  Chief of Detectives Dennis Richards said Morales was operating a vehicle without lights and at a high rate of speed. 

 Buffalo Police continue to search for a suspect in a deadly shooting Sunday night on the city’s East Side. 

"25-year-old Hassan Jabbar of Buffalo was shot once, while he was on East Ferry Street, between Fillmore Avenue and Kehr Street, around 7:30 p.m.," according to Dennis J. Richards, chief of detectives.

Police say Jabbar was taken to Erie County Medical Center, but died a short time after he arrived.   

Nearly 40 state, county and city police officers will begin targeting Buffalo street gangs starting Monday.

Dubbed, "Strike Force," the special unit replaces the city's Mobile Response Unit after five years of focusing on area drug operations.

Officials say the move is in part a response to the public outrage to the recent mass shootings at a picnic at Martin Luther King Park.

Air units from the Erie County Sheriff's Department and State Police will provide tactical assistance to the force.

The Buffalo Police Department has fired one of its own after an arrest this morning by federal law enforcement officials. 

U.S. Attorney William Hochul said former police officer Jorge Melendez, 41, is charged with running a drug manufacturing business out of two warehouses in South Buffalo. Agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the FBI arrested Melendez at Police Headquarters. 

An Erie County Grand Jury is expected to review the details of the Sunday morning incident in which a Buffalo police officer shot and killed a suspect in the city's Black Rock neighborhood.

Internal Affairs and the Homicide Squad are currently investigating the shooting that claimed the life of 25-year-old John Sordetto.

According to the Buffalo News, Sordetto was likely in violation of the terms of his parole when he was stopped by police.

Officer Mark Andrzejak attempted to handcuff Sordetto before a scuffle ensued during which the fatal shot was fired.

Internal Affairs investigators are reviewing the Sunday morning incident in which a Buffalo police officer shot and killed a man in the city's Black Rock section.

Few details have been released but a department spokesman says the shooting followed a foot chase and struggle between the officer and suspect.

The officer was treated for eye and head injuries.

The names of those involved have yet to be released.

The Homicide Squad is also conducting an investigation of the incident.

A Tuesday afternoon, West Side-shooting, makes for Buffalo's eighth gun-related death over the last three weeks.

Police are looking for tips as they search for suspects in the double-shooting at 18th Street and Massachusetts Avenue.

A man in his twenties was pronounced dead at the scene while his female companion was taken to the hospital for treatment of a gun shot wound to the arm.

The Buffalo News reports 105 shooting incidents have occurred this year compared to the same date in 2011 when 60 such incidents had been reported.

A second Buffalo police officer who is listed as injured on duty has been arrested and charged with mail fraud and health care fraud.

U.S. Attorney William Hochul announced that 50-year-old Patrick O'Mara was put on the injured on duty list in February 2004. After two periods on light duty assignments, O'Mara was back on the IOD list from September 2005 until his retirement on March 31 of this year.

Independent medical examinations indicated O'Mara was not disabled, and he was seen walking without a limp when out of the office. 

The defense attorney for a Buffalo Police Officer and former Common Council member is building an argument in a coming felony fraud case.

Robert Quintana is accused of improperly collecting benefits while on leave from police duty due to an injury. During that time he worked at a family restaurant. The defense claims Quintana could only work a few hours a week and was not compensated.

The charges could bring a twenty year prison sentence.

The City of Buffalo along with members of the city's police force are facing a lawsuit over freedom of expression.

The suit has been filed by Lockport resident Gregory Owen. Owen was handing out religious fliers during last year's Italian Festival until police and festival organizers intervened, claiming that he did not have permission to distribute leaflets. The News reports that Owen is not seeking damages, simply the freedom to spread his message at future festivals.

There is no comment as yet from the Police Department.
 

A former Common Council member who is also employed as a Buffalo Police officer is facing federal charges for allegedly abusing sick leave at his job. 

Police say Robert Quintana, 50, was arrested this morning and charged with mail fraud and healthcare fraud. Quintana has been listed as 'injured on duty' since 2005 and has been receiving full pay and benefits. He had told the Police Department he had severe back injuries from a fall on duty.

An east side Buffalo man is in custody following a grim discovery at his home on Guilford Street near Broadway.  

Buffalo Police today formally announced the arrest of Ali-Mohamad Mohamud for the beating death of his 10-year-old stepson Abdifatah Mohamud in their home at 30 Guilford. 

Chief of Detectives Dennis Richards told reporters police went to the arrest shortly after 10 p.m. after receiving a report about a missing child.