Neighborhood shaken after fatal shooting of 3-year-old, offers condolences as Buffalo police investigate

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Waldemar Viera and his fiancée sat on the porch of their home on Domedion Avenue Friday evening, enjoying the warm summer night and their neighborhood.

People were grilling, children were playing when the situation turned chaotic.

“All of a sudden we started hearing shooting, these guys ran across the street and everyone started running,” Viera said.

He and his fiancée are seen on surveillance video diving for cover on their porch; shocked by what happened.

In this same video, we see two people fleeing the scene of the shooting, across the street. Viera turned it over to Buffalo police.

“I can still hear the kids playing and laughing and enjoying the day. We literally looked in that direction seeing the guy holding the gun shooting in that direction…we didn’t know what to do at that point “, did he declare.

Ramone Carter, 3, and his 7-year-old sister were caught in the middle of the gunfire. Carter later died at ECMC and his sister was grazed by a bullet, according to a Buffalo police spokesperson.

Viera and the entire neighborhood sent their condolences to the family. As a father, he can’t imagine the heartache they are going through.

“It shook me for a few days and still today my fiancé and I talk about it. Today it’s sad and going down the street and seeing the tricycle, the bears and the candles. I start to their place and I wouldn’t do it, I don’t know what to do,” Viera said.

A memorial for the toddler has been erected on Domedion Avenue, with photos of the 3-year-old and stuffed animals tied to a flagpole. Carter’s family held a vigil for him Saturday evening.

Rose, another neighbor on the street, told 2 On Your Side that since the shooting, things have been much quieter, like the whole neighborhood is in mourning.

Viera said that before Friday night’s shooting, he and his fiancé talked about their love for their street and the families who live there. They still love him, even afterward, but don’t understand why anyone in their right mind would bring violence to their Eastside neighborhood.

“The fact that anyone in their right mind is like, ‘Hey, let me shoot’ when there are a lot of kids out here playing and don’t think we’re not going to hit anyone, it’s sad.” , Viera said.

He added: “I wish young men could have the right spirit in their heads. You don’t do that when there are children, you don’t do that period. If you have a problem with the person go talk, you know there are many ways to solve problems instead of just shooting everywhere.”

At a news conference Saturday, city officials said Buffalo Police Department investigators interviewed two people in connection with the shooting and recovered a firearm at the scene. But as of Monday evening, no arrests had been made.

Crimestoppers has offered a $7,500 reward for information leading to an arrest.