Buffalo Police Officers Who Shot & Killed Man Will Not Be Charged

Earlier this year, officers from the Buffalo Police Department shot and killed a man in broad daylight in the middle of a residential neighborhood. After a review by the New York State Attorney General's officer, it has been decided that those officers will not face any criminal charges.

Around 10 a.m. on Saturday, February 24, 2024, Buffalo Police Officers responded to a 911 call in Buffalo's Johnson neighborhood regarding a man with a gun in the street. When officers arrived, they encountered 58-year-old Edward Holmes on Reed Street, near Sycamore on Buffalo's eastside.

According to the Buffalo Police Department, Holmes was carrying a 12-gauge shotgun, and officers say that Holmes pointed the weapon at them and fired a round after they told him to drop the shotgun several times.

Officers then returned fire, discharging at least 17 shots before Holmes fell to the ground dead. Reports from the incident say that officers took less than 30 seconds from the time they arrived on site to start shooting.

New York State Law requires that all officer involved shootings are investigated by the New York Attorney General Letitia James’ Office of Special Investigation. The reasoning for this is to ensure that departments aren't investigating themselves as they may have bias to protect themselves.

OSI announced that they had completed their investigation and released their findings.

Under these circumstances, based on the law and the evidence, a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officers’ use of force to stop Mr. Holmes was justified, and therefore OSI determined that criminal charges could not be pursued in this matter.
-New York Attorney General Letitia James’ Office of Special Investigation (OSI)

Since this shooting has been deemed reasonable and justified, the officers will not be charged with any wrongdoing.

The Buffalo Police Department has released the incident's body camera footage and 911 call; you can decide if you think the officers acted appropriately. If you haven't seen the video from the shooting, you can view it here.