The police consider that the fatal shooting on the terrace of the bar on Avenue Hertel is “not a random act”

The victim, 46, was shot around 1:11 a.m. at the Del Denby Tavern, 1553 Hertel, just west of Parkside Avenue, police said.

The victim, a city resident whose name was not released, was taken by ambulance to Erie County Medical Center, where he later died.

Police are asking anyone with information to call or text the department’s confidential line at 716-847-2255.

Based on their investigation so far, police believe the shooter and the victim knew each other, Chief of Detectives Craig Macy said at a news conference.

“This is not a random act,” Macy said.

Macy’s declined to say whether police had a name for the suspect, but said they had no suspects in custody at the time of the news conference.

The two men were inside the bar having a drink together, then went outside and got into an argument. People were walking in and out of the bar as they talked before the victim was shot, with the suspect firing one round, he said.

By late morning, Hertel Avenue near Parkside had its typical bustle, with customers entering and leaving Kosta’s restaurant. At Del’s, a customer and a bartender — both of whom declined to give their names to The Buffalo News — were carrying on business as usual.

They said the shooting happened on the sidewalk in front of the bar.

Police and other city agencies “have begun a review process” to determine whether the business will be allowed to remain open, Macy said.

Detectives reviewed video surveillance footage from various cameras in the area, including a city camera located on the corner of Hertel and Parkside, he said.

There were earlier calls of a shooting and “shots fired” toward the bar, Macy said.

A 24-year-old man was injured in a shooting at 1553 Hertel on June 12, 2021, according to data from the Buffalo Police Department.

The shooting happened after a disturbance inside the bar escalated into a large fight outside, police said at the time.

Police and municipal officials have the power to close establishments where violent crime or other problems occur. Late last year, Buffalo police shut down Club Marcella, a downtown nightclub, after there were four shootings, including one fatality, in and around the building in 2023. In 2020, city officials closed Club 1210 and Groove Lounge on Broadway after a hiatus. An on-duty Buffalo police officer was shot and killed outside the nightclub.

This is the fourth homicide in Buffalo in the past 11 days. A 14-year-old girl, Jazzmine Fomby, was killed in a shooting on Alexander Place on Saturday evening and two handymen, Abu Saleh Mohammod Yousuf and Babul Meah, were killed as they reported for work at a house on the street Zenner on April 27.