BUFFALO, N.Y. — It was a rude introduction to Buffalo for two young Irish men who came here to work and ended up getting robbed at gunpoint outside a downtown bar over the weekend.
It's unfortunate according to Conor Hawkins, co-owner of the Banshee Irish Pub, who says he's hoping the community will rally behind his two tavern workers, who he says are not used to even hearing about armed robberies where they're from.
At around 4:45 a.m. Sunday the two emerged from the pub, and footage from a security camera outside The Banshee shows a man approaching the two victims and displaying what appears to be a gun.
According to Hawkins, the two told police the robber demanded money, but the victims had none. So the perpetrator took a new iPhone belonging to victims instead.
The two young men are here on visas to study and work and, according to Hawkins, had just gotten here less than a week ago when this happened.
"They just got here from Ireland and had been six days here," Hawkins said. "They came over to work at The Banshee for the summer, play some Gaelic football, Irish football, and to have the experience of a lifetime."
"It sucks what happened," Hawkins said. "These are nice lads. They're from rural Ireland and not used to the big city, and then this happened, so I'm kind of heartbroken for them, that they had this experience, and I'm kind of worried for their mothers back in Ireland."
"The police have had some major cutbacks ad they're struggling to staff the area," said Dave Metz of the Chippewa Alliance, who also says criminals appear to be becoming more brazen.
"We've had some incidents down here ... since they changed the laws with raise the age the no bail, some of these criminals just don't care. I mean, they'll commit a crime because there's no fear."
Meanwhile Hawkins, who posted about the incident on social media, says the two victims are trying their best to get on and hopes the community will show their support to them.
"They are working away and enjoying things and meeting new friends every day. I put the post out there as a way so people would come down say hello to them, and tell them that the people of Buffalo are not like this. We're a very welcoming city and a city of good neighbors and to say hello to the lads," he said.