*WARNING — The video attached to this story contains graphic images and strong language.*
The Buffalo Police Department has released body camera video of an incident in which two officers shot and killed a man on Reed Street on Saturday.
On Sunday, Buffalo police identified the man as 58-year-old Edward Holmes of Buffalo.
Police said officers responded to a report of a man with a gun around 10 a.m. Saturday on the 100 block of Reed Street.
According to police, upon arrival officers encountered Holmes, and he had a shotgun and fit the exact description from the report. The first two police cars that arrived stopped about 50 feet away from where Holmes was and the officers took cover behind their car doors and gave him numerous commands to drop the gun.
Police said the commands continued for about another 25 to 30 seconds as other officers arrived. Holmes allegedly had the gun aimed at the officers and fired one shot from a 12-gauge shotgun in the direction of the officers. According to police, the officers still did not return fire and continued to give him commands to drop the gun until he raised the gun and then leveled it out again toward the officers, and then they began to return fire.
BPD Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said two officers discharged their firearms and a total of 20 rounds were fired between the two, 14 by one officer and six by the other. Holmes was struck two times, once in the chest and once in the arm. Gramaglia said the officers on the scene rendered aid until the Buffalo Fire Department and AMR arrived, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
The two officers involved have been placed on administrative leave and have been identified as Andrew Lewis and Joshua Slupinski. They are both from C District. Lewis has been with the department for 18 months and Slupinski has been with the department for five years.
Gramaglia said it was determined that Holmes was the person who placed the original 911 call.
"Mr. Holmes called 911 from his own cell phone, and he was calling as though he were a witness to somebody else," said Gramaglia. "The call was that 'there is a man in the street with a shotgun,' the 911 call taker asked for a description, he provided a description that was of himself. At no point did he ever say that was him. At no point did he ever make any claim that he was having a mental health crisis. Never asked for help. He simply called as though he were a witness to somebody else in the street that had that gun."
Gramaglia said this was likely a suicide-by-cop situation.
You can watch Gramaglia's full press conference below.
You can watch the body camera video below. *WARNING — The video contains graphic images and strong language.*
Friends and family members of Edward Holmes held a vigil mourning the loss of their loved one and asking for answers from police on Sunday night.
Gramaglia said he and the command staff had a chance to meet with the family on Monday and discuss the body camera video and answer as many questions as they could as well as express their condolences.
The incident is under investigation by the New York State Attorney General's Office. Anyone with information or video is asked to call or text the confidential line at (716) 847-2255.
