BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Police investigators are looking into three shootings that happened early Friday morning.
All of the shootings happened within in an hour of each other and in close proximity.
The first happened at an apartment on Shepard Street around 1:20 a.m. Officers arrived at the scene and found a 22-year-old man from Hamburg shot inside.
Officers also found a fire on the side porch of the apartment.
The victim, whose name has not yet been released, was taken to Erie County Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the leg. He is currently listed in stable condition.
The second shooting happened just minutes later at 1:26 a.m. less than two miles away at a home on Freund St. A police source tells 2 On Your Side's Jeff Preval it appears that a high-powered rifle was one of the weapons used.
Officers were responding to a call of shots fired, and when they arrived, a large crowd of people was running from the scene. A 28-year-old man from Buffalo was found outside a home there with multiple gunshot wounds.
He died at the scene. His name has not been released.
The third shooting happened about 45 minutes later at 2:18 a.m. at a home on Montana Avenue. Officers found a 21-year-old man from Buffalo laying in a driveway with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to ECMC, where he later died.
Police Captain Jeff Rinaldo told 2 On Your Side it's too early in the investigation to say if these shootings are connected.
According to Buffalo Police, there have now been 20 shooting homicides so far this year. At this time, a year ago there were 10.
"I think we’re going to have a very, very violent summer, until the pendulum swings in the favor of police again. This isn’t just Buffalo. Any big cities, your crime is off the charts," Buffalo Police Benevolent Association president John Evans said.
To anti-violence groups, the violence is seen too often.
"This has become the status quo of how we resolve our conflicts, right. I'm going to get my gun, and when I see you, this is how we're going to handle this," Pastor James Giles of Buffalo Peacemakers said.
The triple shooting comes a week after New York state legalized recreational marijuana, a law that, according to prosecutors, strips police of using marijuana as probable cause to search a car and potentially find illegal guns.
"All those weapons that would be taken off the street are not going to be," Evans said.
The Buffalo Police union president worries what the coming months could bring.
"I don't see the things getting better in that any of the reforms that are coming out seemingly try to attempt to handcuff the police," Evans said.
Anyone with information is asked to call or text the police confidential tip line at (716) 847-2255.