Buffalo Police Use Billboards, Videos to Encourage Homicide Witnesses to Provide Information

The Buffalo Police Department is deploying a new strategy to solve homicides: releasing videos of victims’ family members asking the public to come forward with information.

The department will combine that strategy with the use of billboards, a method it has used in the past. A billboard at the corner of Cherry Street and Michigan Avenue now draws attention to the unsolved murder of Jazzmine Fomby, the 14-year-old girl who was shot after a party on Alexander Place in early May.

Fomby’s mother, Angel Myree, appears in a video. She stood alongside Mayor Byron Brown and police department officials to announce the new campaign. She remembered her daughter as a funny and loving child and urged anyone with information about her daughter’s death to come forward.

“I would hate for that to happen again,” Myree said.

Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said the billboards, which are paid for with funds seized in narcotics and other criminal investigations, will remain up for about a month while department employees use police social media to share the videos.

The hope is that people with information will realize the human toll of these killings and feel compelled to contact police. In Fomby’s case, there are dozens of potential eyewitnesses, many of them likely teenagers, he added.

Arrival of the Ralph Wilson Park Bridge in Buffalo: After slowly but surely making its way across upstate New York over the past 10 days via the historic Erie Canal, pushed by a tugboat on two barges through a series of 36 locks, the new forged pedestrian bridge for Ralph Wilson Jr. Park arrived Tuesday. Read more

“It means a lot to us”: Farm to Family brings fresh produce to food banks: Last year, Farm to Family volunteers delivered 125,000 pounds of fresh produce to 22 food banks, serving approximately 3,000 families. Read more

Buffalo City Council balks at raising parking meter rates: Members of the Common Council’s Legislation Committee expressed opposition to the proposed amendment to the ordinance before marking it as received and filed, meaning it will not be further discussed or acted upon.

A crane at the Bills’ new stadium site was damaged by a storm that brought tornadoes to the area: The storm that ravaged parts of western New York last week also caused damage to the construction site of the Buffalo Bills’ new stadium. One of the six large cranes being used to build the stadium in Orchard Park was struck by lightning Wednesday during the intense storm that spawned several tornadoes in the area. Read more

“Ideal” scenario for the opening of the renovated Hamburg ice rink in mid-November: Hamburg city officials still don’t know how long the Nike Ice Rink will remain closed for renovations, but said this week that it could last until mid- to late November. A public information meeting to receive updates is scheduled for August 19 at 4 p.m. Read more

North Tonawanda Bans Cryptocurrency Mining for Two Years: The ban on new data centers comes after the Common Council heard complaints from residents about the Digihost cryptocurrency mining facility off Erie Avenue since before it began operations in February 2022. Read more

More cloudy skies: Cloudy with occasional showers and a high of 77 degrees. Read more

Date Night with Your Dog: Restaurants, Parks, and Events to Enjoy with Your Dog: From restaurants that double as indoor dog parks to off-leash parks and pup-focused events, Buffalo’s pet scene makes it easy to spend quality time with your dog during the dog days of summer.

This week in Buffalo food: Prova opens at Fountain Plaza, Taste of Buffalo highlights, and new restaurants: Prova @ The Plaza is meant to be a one-stop shop for everyday food and beverage needs, from healthy pre-packaged snacks and fresh breakfast burritos to espresso drinks and slices of Sicilian pizza. Read more

Alan Pergament: An honor for John Murphy, a leap forward for Briana Aldridge and a new role for Stevie Johnson: TV critic Alan Pergament shares some insights into sports-related TV shows. Read more

Bills Position Preview: Defensive line looks to reorganize: The team is under pressure to perform at the highest level. Veteran Von Miller and his coaches believe Miller should look much better this season. Greg Rousseau and AJ Epenesa have yet to perform well. Head coach Sean McDermott believes both have the ability to do so. Read more

Casey Toohill fits well into Buffalo Bills defense: The Bills signed Toohill, who turns 28 in August, to a one-year deal in March. Toohill spent a brief time with the Philadelphia Eagles, who drafted him, before spending about four years with the Washington Commanders. Toohill says his greatest strength as a player is the “obsession with the game and getting better” that drives him. Read more

Bills Name Chris Brown as Full-Time Radio Announcer: Ahead of the opening of training camp next week, the Bills have named Chris Brown as their new full-time radio announcer. Read more

The Jr. Sabres’ impact is felt at Sabres development camp and throughout the season: Since opening their downtown practice facility in 2014, the Sabres have made a huge commitment to youth and amateur hockey at the arena and their recent development camp featured six former Buffalo Jr. Sabres players on the ice. Read more

The barge-carrying section of the new Ralph Wilson Park Bridge crosses Lockport: Hundreds of people gathered along the gates of Locks 34 and 35 in Lockport to watch the CMT Otter and the CMT Kelly barge, carrying a section of the new Ralph Wilson Park Bridge, pass through the locks toward Buffalo. See Joshua Bessex’s gallery.

#EveryDayAPhoto: Check out our photo series each morning to see our favorite image of the day.

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