BUFFALO, N.Y. — With all the violence that's happened in Buffalo this weekend, it has community members pretty concerned.
They're reminding everyone it's important to keep the peace.
"It's never worth using guns to settle your beef when you can go ahead and just talk to people and resolve your issues like that. There's too many guns on our streets," said Murray Holman, executive director with the Stop the Violence Coalition and a leader with the Buffalo Peacemakers.
Since Saturday morning, 10 people have been wounded in six shootings that Buffalo Police have reported across the city. Four of those people were shot Sunday morning at the foot of West Ferry Street, near Niagara Street.
Police are also looking into a seventh possible shooting after someone New York State Police pulled over in Rochester on Sunday morning said he was shot on Bailey Avenue.
Holman says he's concerned after two nights of violence in the city.
So are Buffalo Police, who tell 2 On Your Side it's not uncommon to see crime on the rise as it starts to get nicer outside.
However, Buffalo Police Captain Jeff Rinaldo said the coronavirus pandemic also becomes a factor in the way people behave.
"There's been three months of lockdown from COVID. People don't really have a place they can go to to recreate. They don't have any place that they can do things, so as the weather heats up, people are looking to get out into public spaces," Rinaldo said.
"Most of these are occurring late at night so there's alcohol involvement. They're in uncontrolled environments and all it takes is a fight or argument to break out."
He says that's what happened when four men were shot on the city's West Side just after 3:30 on Sunday morning.
All four men were taken to local hospitals, and officers say at least one of them was seriously hurt.
Holman says it's not only shameful at what happened, but where it took place.
"It's really a disgrace to our community. With the Underground Railroad, that is a significant place there. People have crossed that water right there and lost their lives for freedom," he said. "We're out here fighting for things right now, and here it is people are coming here and disrespecting it regardless of what the elders have put in front of us."
Rinaldo says police haven't made any arrests in any of the shootings that occurred this weekend.
He says detectives will continue following up on cases this weekend by tracking down video surveillance footage in the areas of the shootings.
If you have any information on these shootings, You're asked to call or text the Buffalo Police Department's confidential tip line at (716) 849-2255.
