Person charged after 2 workers shot in Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A suspected squatter fatally shot two workers Saturday on Zenner Street, and a person has been charged, according to Buffalo police.

Additionally, they said a gun has been recovered.

Police said they responded around 12:30 p.m. to a residence on the 100 block of Zenner Street, where two males had been shot. Both men were later declared deceased.

Crime Stoppers WNY identified the victims Sunday as Buffalo residents Babul Meah and Abu Yousuf. Gramaglia said that the two men were there to work on the house, as it was for sale and due to close soon. One of the victims was shot on the residence’s porch, while another was shot in the street.

31-year-old Dale O. Cummings, with no permanent address, has been charged with one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was arraigned in court on Monday. There are currently no other charges. He has been remanded without bail and will be back in court on Friday.

Cummings was known to police before this incident. He had failed to appear in court three times from arrests in the past year. That included a theft of services charge in June 2023, a menacing charge in August 2023 and trespassing, criminal impersonation and loitering charges in January.

Gramaglia said that police, including a SWAT unit, responded to the shooting Saturday and set up a perimeter after witnesses said they believed the suspected shooter was still in the house. After obtaining a search warrant, it was later found there was nobody inside.

After canvassing video, Gramaglia said the subject did enter the home following the shooting, which is not believed to be targeted, but exited out a rear door within minutes of the initial 911 call.

“We’ve got tactical teams, patrol officers and detectives that are out scouring the neighborhoods for this individual,” Gramaglia said. “Knowing that the safety of our community is at risk until we get out there, until we find him, this is the challenging time for us. We are working diligently to locate this person.”

A News 4 photographer on the scene confirmed that Zenner Street and Kilhoffer Street were closed off to traffic for a portion of Saturday as a result of the police and SWAT presence.

Buffalo police are also asking anyone with information regarding the incident to call or text their confidential tip line at (716) 847-2255. Additionally, Crime Stoppers WNY is offering a reward of up to $7,500 for information leading to the arrest or indictment of those responsible. You can submit a tip to them at (716) 867-6161.

You can watch Monday’s update from Buffalo police and city officials below.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

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Adam Gorski is a Buffalo native who joined the News 4 team in 2022. You can find more of his work here.

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