BUFFALO, N.Y. — A man is facing multiple charges in connection with a shooting in West Buffalo and a separate armed incident at a drug treatment clinic nearby.
Jeremy Griffin, 48, is accused of shooting a woman in the leg on Pennsylvania Street on Thursday morning.
Shortly after, Buffalo Police claim Griffin walked into the clinic on Virginia Street with an AR-15 and allegedly fired one shot into the wall. Two security guards were able to subdue Griffin before police arrived, but his weapon was fired at least two more times during their struggle.
Fortunately, no one at the clinic was hit by the gunfire.
Djkafar Abdi, a taxi driver who regularly transports clients to the clinic, told 2 On Your Side on Friday that when he heard what he thought were gunshots, he ran toward the sound to see what had happened.
"I got out of my car, and when I got over there, I see the man being held down by security on the ground, I took my phone out and started recording," Abdi said.
A native of Somalia, Abdi said he was not afraid and wanted to help, adding that he has seen much worse as a child. As he ran toward the clinic, others sought safety.
"There was just running, no one else stays over there. Everybody was just running because there was a gun. Nobody was going to stand up over there," Abdi said.
He stood next to the two security guards, who had pinned the suspect to the ground and, like Buffalo Police have said, credits them with saving lives.
"Security did a really good job. If it wasn't for them, he was going to shoot a lot of people," Abdi said.
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn echoed that feeling, adding that two civilians also helped out.
"I just can't say enough about the heroic efforts of the two security guards inside the clinic, but the two civilians who just happened to be out front because there were numerous employees in the clinic, and there were numerous patients in the clinic as well, and this could have been much worse," Flynn said.
Flynn, whose office will be prosecuting this case, said Griffin will undergo a forensic evaluation to make sure he is mentally fit for trial. The district attorney said that is a concern.
Griffin has a felony hearing scheduled for Nov. 15.
The DA also reaffirmed Friday what Buffalo Police said hours after these incidents, that they believe these were not "planned" attacks but appear to be drug-related attempted robberies.
Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia and Mayor Byron Brown met with Hispanic leaders Friday and went to the clinic to check in on employees and others who were impacted. The clinic is affiliated with Acacia Network, a large New York nonprofit led by the Hispanic community.
2 On Your Side has reached out to the company multiple times seeking comment on Thursday's incident. At the posting of this story, we have still not heard back.
A spokesperson for the Buffalo Police Department said the woman shot on Pennsylvania Street had been released from ECMC as of Friday afternoon after being shot in the upper leg.
The suspect, Jeremy Griffin, 48, is charged with attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon for the Pennsylvania Street shooting, as well as reckless endangerment and two other weapon charges for the incident at the clinic.