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On Monday, December 26, the Daily Sneed's Twitter account posted footage of Buffalo locals firing at suspected looters during the blizzard.
In the footage, a man with what was identified as a broom can be seen walking amidst the blizzard conditions. The footage cuts to several armed individuals running down the street as screams and gunfire can be heard.
The armed men appear to chase down the suspected looters before firing shots in their direction. At this point, a man can be heard saying:
“They about to shoot somebody. They trying to shoot somebody."
No injuries or deaths were reported in the incident.
Community responds to the Buffalo blizzard shooting incident
According to Yahoo, the incident occurred on Bailey Avenue when thieves attempted to break into a Pine Hill storefront.
A store manager, whose name was not disclosed, explained the circumstances of the shooting to local reporters.
“That was one of the neighbors that probably had business in the area."
An anonymous witness claimed that the shooter in the incident did not intend to hurt anyone. He said:
“As far as I know, he shot in the air to scare them off. Because I guess he was sick of them breaking into one of the businesses across the street or something. He just don’t want them to break anything anymore.”
Local authorities have not yet identified the shooter or the suspected looter.
Further details of the blizzard
The blizzard affecting the New York city of Buffalo and Eerie County, in particular, has left over 30 people dead so far.
Besides the scale of the disaster, looters have emerged as a constant problem, with Buffalo authorities receiving reports of opportunistic lootings and robberies across the city.
At a press conference on Monday, December 26, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown condemned the actions of the looters. Brown said:
"(They are) the lowest of the low.”
He continued:
“People who are out looting when people are losing their lives in this harsh winter storm is just absolutely reprehensible. I don’t know how these people can even live with themselves, how they can look at themselves in the mirror.”
Buffalo Police commissioner Joseph Gramaglia repeated the Mayor's sentiments, clarifying that the looters were acting out of greed rather than desperation, as very few were targeting essential supplies they might require to survive the blizzard.
Commissioner Gramaglia said:
“This isn’t people stealing food and medicine and diapers.They are destroying stores, they’re stealing televisions, couches, whatever they can get their hands on.”
New York Governor Kathy said this is the worst blizzard to hit the state in decades.
