BUFFALO, NY – An off-duty Buffalo cop was charged under New York State’s strict control laws after leaving a firearm exposed on the front seat of his vehicle.
According to Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn, 28-year-old Mitchell R. Thomas of Buffalo was arraigned on Friday afternoon on one count of Failure to Safely Store Firearms in the First Degree (Class “A” misdemeanor).
It is alleged that on Sunday, October 9, 2022, at approximately 5:09 p.m., Buffalo Police officers were responding to a 911 call when they observed an unsecured pistol in plain view inside of an occupied vehicle parked on the 300 block of Franklin Street, the Erie County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement today.
According to the statement, Thomas, an officer with the Buffalo Police Department who was off-duty at the time of the alleged incident, was accused of failing to safely store the firearm by leaving his personal, loaded weapon outside of his immediate possession.