3-year-old boy killed, sister injured in shooting in Buffalo

A 3-year-old boy was killed and his 7-year-old sister was injured in a shooting at an outdoor gathering in Buffalo, New York, Friday night, authorities said Saturday.

The incident occurred around 9:30 p.m. at a family gathering in Buffalo’s Schiller Park neighborhood, Mayor Byron Brown said at a press conference.

The young boy was struck by gunfire and later died of his injuries. His sister “was grazed and will survive,” Brown said, adding that the shooting was not related to the gathering.

The three-year-old was “simply out on his tricycle, having fun with his family on a hot summer night, with his seven-year-old sister right by his side,” the mayor said.

Then, “out of nowhere,” a fire broke out and hit the young siblings.

According to Police Commissioner Joseph A. Gramaglia, officers arrived at the scene quickly.

When they saw that the boy had been shot, they immediately took the victim to Erie County Medical Center “and did everything they could to expedite the child’s care,” Granaglia said, but they were unable to save his life.

Although no arrests have been made yet, “significant progress” has been made in the investigation, according to Michael Keane, assistant district attorney for Erie County.

“There are witnesses to this horrific crime and those responsible for the murder of this three-year-old boy should be brought to justice,” Keane said.

According to the mayor, the children’s mother is a “strong woman” who “is active in the community (as) a member of The Most Valuable Parents organization; she is constantly working with other families, she is working with children, she is trying to keep families safe (and) she is trying to keep children safe in our community.”

“It breaks my heart that this happened,” he said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to submit a tip online or via text message, or call the Buffalo Police Department’s confidential tip line at 716-847-2255.