BUFFALO, N.Y. (Washington Insider Magazine) – During a dramatic car pursuit Tuesday evening in Buffalo, 3 officers and the escaping driver were shot, police radio dispatches caught the carnage on the streets.
One of the 3 policemen wounded by gunfire remained hospitalized on Wednesday as authorities pieced together the chase, which sped from one side of town to the other with the assailant shooting at officials from the speeding car.
According to ABC NEWS, the vehicle’s driver was also taken to the hospital after getting shot and injured by authorities at an intersection in front of a police precinct, where the chase concluded.
The fact that no bystanders were struck by the gunshots was extraordinary, according to investigators.
Kente Bell, 28, was verified as the shooter by police and was hospitalized in serious condition on Wednesday. He was charged with attempted murder.
Bell’s car was approached in the car park of a waterfront park by officers who thought it was “suspicious,” according to Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia. After handing over his credentials, the driver left the scene.
As the police came, the car slowed to allow someone to exit. According to investigators, shooting started coming from the vehicle just after the female passenger left.
The chasing officials called in the location of the car and yelled out warnings on radio broadcasts caught by Broadcastify.com.
Trevor Sheehan, one of the officers, was wounded in the arm. A bullet also grazed his ear, which required surgical treatment, according to Gramaglia.
Officer Christopher Wilson was struck by a bullet, but his bulletproof vest spared him from catastrophic damage. Officer Joseph McCarthy received a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He remained in the hospital on Wednesday, but Gramaglia said he was likely to make a complete recovery.
According to officials, gunshots damaged 9 police cars.
One witness captured the conclusion of the chase on camera and shared it on social media: Officers on the lookout for Bell’s approaching car drew their firearms and established defensive positions. On the recording, there were many volleys of gunfire.
Leslie Thomas, 64, was following the news from her apartment, which overlooks the crime scene, when she heard gunshots.
Authorities couldn’t explain why they confronted Bell when he was sitting in his car on Wednesday, or why he could have fled the scene. However, they claimed Bell was prohibited from possessing a firearm since he was on probation for an unlawful gun conviction in the town of Amherst in 2020.
According to press accounts at the time, Bell survived getting shot as a teen in 2012. It was unclear whether he was represented by an attorney who could respond to the allegations.
According to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, his female passenger was brought into custody on Tuesday but subsequently released without being prosecuted.
