Sources confirm identity of man killed in ‘officer-involved shooting’ in Buffalo
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — One person is dead after what Buffalo police are calling an “officer-involved shooting,” officials said Wednesday morning.
Police said that the incident happened just after midnight near Kensington Avenue and Poultney Avenue. The man was transported to ECMC, where he was later pronounced dead.
Sources confirmed to WIVB News 4 that the identity of the victim is 25-year-old Daevon Roberts, the older half-brother of Jaylen Griffin, 12, whose body was found in a South Buffalo home four years after he went missing.
Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon that the victim was pulled over for excessive speed and excessive tinted windows. There was also a 6-year-old child in the passenger seat with no seatbelt on, he said.
According to Gramaglia, when asked for identification, the driver told officers he didn’t have one with him, but had a photo of a Georgia license on his phone. The officer then ran a search and found that the license was not valid.
“When the officer opened the door, the door was wide open, and the officer stood to the side to allow the motorist out of the vehicle,” Gramaglia said. “It appears that he just had his arm and his hand on top of the doorframe of the vehicle when the vehicle accelerated immediately.”
In the body camera video, the officer can be heard pleading with the driver to stop, Gramaglia said.
Gramaglia said the victim appeared to attempt to kick the officer off the side of the vehicle when the officer fired “numerous rounds” and struck the driver “numerous times.”
“This is extremely, extremely traumatic. I was horrified watching this video, I was horrified for the officer. That officer could have been severely injured or killed had it turned out any other way, had he not taken the action that he took,” he said. “And I can’t imagine being the partner officer watching your partner be driven away at a high rate of speed and, again, we’re talking speeds at a rate of 60 miles per hour.”
The officer was then able to slow down the vehicle when the driver “tumbled out” of the car and the officer “tumbled off” of the car. The vehicle continued to go westbound on Kensington at a slow speed, Gramaglia said.
“Knowing that there was a 6-year-old still in the car, the officer immediately got up and started sprinting down Kensington Avenue westbound chasing after the vehicle on foot,” Gramaglia said. “The vehicle came to a slow and finally stopped, bumping into the curb.”
While chasing the vehicle, the officer called for an ambulance and said shots were fired. The officer — who has not yet been named by police — then pulled the uninjured child out of the vehicle.
The victim is not the father of the child, Gramaglia said. The child was reunited with his mother, who lived nearby.
The driver was in the intersection of Kensington Avenue and Wyoming Avenue when additional officers arrived and immediately issued first aid, Gramaglia said.
A search warrant was signed for the vehicle, which was not registered to the driver. Gramaglia said the vehicle was not stolen. A loaded, nine-millimeter Taurus handgun was located underneath the driver’s seat earlier Wednesday, police said.
“As far as the body camera video, again, we have reviewed it,” Gramaglia said. “Homicide detectives have been in contact on several occasions with family members. Those family members have been offered an opportunity, and I believe will be taking up the opportunity, to view that body camera video. Once that is done, we will release that body camera video. It’s possible that that could happen tomorrow.”
Buffalo homicide detectives and the Internal Affairs Division are currently conducting separate investigations, which is departmental procedure.
In addition, the New York State Attorney General’s office is the lead prosecuting agency in the case.
This is the second fatal officer-involved shooting in Buffalo this year. In February, officers shot and killed a man on Reed Street after he was believed to have called 911 on himself.
Watch Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia’s full press conference from Wednesday in the video player below.
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