Looters have been trying to take advantage of the situation amid the chaos caused by the deadly blizzard in Buffalo — but one gun owner decided that he had to take matters into his own hands to prevent theft at a local business.
During the blizzard in which at least 39 people died, numerous looting crimes also took place in the city of Buffalo, New York. These criminals took advantage of the weather and the resulting conditions that prevented fast response times from police, as well as the empty stores while most people were huddled in their homes.
The blizzard was caused by a bomb cyclone and was reportedly the deadliest lake-effect snowstorm on record. Nearly 600 National Guard members were dispatched to conduct wellness checks during the massive storm that prompted officials to implement a driving ban that lasted almost a week.
Looting became so prevalent during that time that local authorities were forced to create an anti-looting detail to deal with the crimes. As of Wednesday, ten people had been arrested for looting in Buffalo.
There’s looting in Buffalo NY b/c it snowed?????? pic.twitter.com/LItUw0T0zJ
— Luke Rudkowski (@Lukewearechange) December 26, 2022
Meanwhile, one armed Buffalo man decided to try to stop looters — and his actions were captured on video.
The incident began in the Pine Hill neighborhood, where a looter had attempted to break into a store.
In the video, some people can be seen wielding brooms and sticks in an effort to discourage people from looting — or potentially fight back against the looters who had been breaking into stores. However, one of the men in the neighborhood had decided to emerge with his firearm.
A male voice can be heard on the video stating: “They are about to shoot somebody. They trying to shoot somebody.”
Then, a man in a gray shirt can be seen using his firearm to prevent a looter from breaking into a local shop, Sky’s the Limit Hair & Beauty.
An individual in the crowd can be heard screaming: “Shoot ’em! Shoot ’em!”
The gun-wielding man then fires off two shots.
According to an unidentified manager from Sky’s the Limit who spoke with the New York Post, no one was injured during the shooting incident — and the identity of the shooter is still a mystery.
“That was one of the neighbors that probably had business in the area,” the unidentified manager suggested. “As far as I know, he shot in the air to scare them off. Because I guess he was sick of them breaking into one of the businesses across the street or something. He just don’t want them to break anything anymore.”
Store owners protecting their business
One begins firing toward the end of the video— The Daily Sneed™🕗 (@Tr00peRR) December 26, 2022
Buffalo police have not commented on the incident.
