A fight early Friday morning led to a fatal shooting on a popular late-night stretch of Allen Street. 37-year-old Saleem Merukeb was killed on the street between Delaware and Elmwood Avenues around 1:30.
Buffalo Common Council Member David Franczyk represents the Allentown Neighborhood and, to him, there seems to be a recent spike in violent crimes in that part of the city.
"Enough is enough," he said Friday. "I'm troubled by it, but it's kind of following a pattern. Part of the problem, in my opinion at least on this end of Allentown, is the proliferation of too many bars and drinking establishments. It's turning into Chippewa."
A meeting is scheduled for November 16 with Buffalo Police, business owners and neighborhood residents to address the growing popularity of Allen Street as a late-night destination, according to Franczyk.
Marc Frisicaro owns Frizzy's Bar and Grill and has lived in the Allentown neighborhood for 14 years. He doesn't think there are any issues with violence in his community and chalks Friday morning's incident to a random fight.
"This is very unusual for Allen Street, I know it's getting a bad rap," he said. "We're not having all the situations that Chippewa had. We try to keep a safe environment for our customers."
The shooting happened in the street directly in front of Frizzy's, but Frisicaro said the incident was not related to his business at all.
