BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Police Department said a 19-year-old man from Brooklyn died after a shooting early Sunday morning.
The shooting happened around 3:40 a.m. inside a home on Bird Avenue.
Police said the 19-year-old, Royden Cave, was shot during an off-campus party at the home. Cave was taken to Erie County Medical Center but died from his injuries.
Buffalo State College president Katherine Conway-Turner issued a statement Sunday afternoon, addressing the death of Cave, a freshman who was a criminal justice major.
I am deeply saddened to share with you that Buffalo State College student Royden Cave passed away early Sunday morning. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Royden was a 19-year-old freshman criminal justice major.
Buffalo Police informed college officials that Royden was tragically shot at an off-campus gathering early Sunday morning. He was transported to ECMC where he succumbed to his injuries. The incident is currently under investigation by the Buffalo Police Department.
Please know that staff members from our Counseling Center are available to assist and talk with students, faculty, and staff as we grieve the loss of a member of our Buffalo State family. The Counseling Center, which is located on the second floor of Weigel Health Center, can be reached by phone at (716) 878-4436. In addition, help is available 24 hours a day from Crisis Services at (716) 834-3131.
On behalf of the entire Buffalo State community, I express my heartfelt condolences to the Cave family and Royden’s beloved friends. Our hearts ache for you during this difficult time.
News of Cave's death comes just days after the Buffalo Peacemakers hosted a business and community meeting alongside dozens of business leaders who are also committed to ending the trending violence, especially among young people.
Pastor James Giles has been a coordinator for the anti-violence group for a long time and says this is yet another example of why there's a great need for more people to join their cause.
"What's most disturbing about this activity is that you have innocent people getting killed because they're in the wrong place at the wrong time," Giles says. "We generally have to bury some teenager every year. I don't recall a year passing by that there wasn't a teenager getting killed who we had to bury. But we've had staggering numbers since May of last year."
Giles says the work of community-based organizations is just one piece of the puzzle, at the core, gun legislation and convictions, as they relate to gun possession also need to change.
"We we need to begin to lean into some of the legislations around these tough gun laws that allow people to do this and allow people to circumvent existing gun laws," Giles said.
Anyone with information is asked to call or text the Buffalo Police Department's Confidential TIPCALL Line at (716) 847-2255.