The 3-year-old boy injured during a Monday night shooting in Buffalo has died. Meanwhile, a Cheektowaga couple has been arraigned on felony drug and weapons charges in connection to the shooting.
The Erie County District Attorney's Office confirmed Friday that the toddler has died as a result of his injuries. The child had been in critical condition at Oishei Children's Hospital since the shooting outside the Ferry Grider Homes apartment complex, which also injured three adults.
On Thursday, the DA's office charged Dequan I. Richardson, 22, and Jonay B. Robinson, 25, with several counts, including second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and third-degree criminal possession of a firearm.
The charges came after a warrant was served on an apartment Richardson and Robinson share on Slate Creek Drive in Cheektowaga. Police reportedly found an illegal pistol, illegal rifle, cocaine, a scale and diluents. On these charges, both individuals face up to 15 years in prison.
Flynn said although Richardson and Robinson have not yet been directly charged with the shooting, they are persons of interest.
"So the shooting incident on July 5, where the three-year-old child was shot, that was the genesis or the foundation of the search warrant," Flynn said.
Flynn would not comment on whether the recovered guns may have been used in Monday's shooting.
The shooting occurred during a impromptu July 4 gathering, where many people were present, Flynn said. He added that law enforcement is continuing to investigate the incident and needs to hear from the public.
“There were a number of people outside. I don't want to say hundreds. That may be overstating it, but there were a lot. There were a lot of people outside at the time," he said. "So there were a lot of people who potentially saw what happened.”
Anyone with information about the shooting can call Flynn's office at 858-2466.
