BUFFALO, N.Y. — Two men arrested earlier this month near the Tops supermarket on Jefferson Avenue have been charged with menacing and criminal possession of a weapon, according to a statement issued Friday by Buffalo Police Commissioner Alphonso Wright.
The arrests occurred on June 17 in the vicinity of the same Tops location where a white supremacist gunman fatally shot 10 Black residents and injured three others in a racially motivated attack on May 14, 2022. Authorities have confirmed there is no connection between the two incidents.
“The subjects were apprehended and charged for their criminal wrongdoing and there is no indication that this case involves anything beyond those charges,” Wright said in the statement released by the department.
Police have not released the names of the suspects, nor have they disclosed the specific type of weapons involved. The men are currently facing charges of menacing and criminal possession of a weapon, according to the department.
Wright also stated that investigators shared their findings with state and federal law enforcement agencies but did not identify any broader threat or motive beyond the current charges.
Ongoing safety measures in Buffalo
“There is no connection between last week’s arrests and the heinous attack by a white supremacist at the same store on May 14, 2022,” the commissioner emphasized.
The Jefferson Avenue Tops location has remained a focal point in Buffalo due to the 2022 mass shooting, which prompted both state and federal hate crime investigations and calls for increased security in predominantly Black neighborhoods.
The Buffalo Police Department did not report any injuries related to the June 17 incident. Officials also did not state whether the suspects remain in custody or have been released pending court proceedings.
Buffalo authorities said they remain in contact with other agencies to ensure public safety and continue monitoring any activity in the area surrounding the Jefferson Avenue store.