NewsLocal News

Actions

Amherst Police pursuit leaves blood on a Buffalo backyard pool

The home owner wants the police to clean it
Posted at 11:26 PM, Jul 12, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-12 23:26:41-04

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — An Amherst Police pursuit ended in one Buffalo woman's yard Tuesday night leaving behind some evidence. Felicia Helton, the home owner, said no one has come by to clean it up.

Helton is ready to enjoy summer with her grandchildren. She set up the pool in her backyard at the corner of East Ferry and Zenner Streets on Monday, but two days later the grandchildren couldn't use it.

"I have to go back in the house and tell them 'Sorry no pool time,'" she said. When the grandchildren asked "why nana?" Helton told them something happened yesterday in her yard.

What happened was that pursuit. When Helton went out to her yard the next morning she found blood on her grandchildren's inflatable pool. She said the blood stains happened during the police incident. She was prepared to clean the blood stains until she noticed there was more.

"I noticed the blood that was on the tarp," Helton said. "And I said wait a minute, let me stop what I'm doing now because I don't know to what degree the blood is throughout the yard."

That's when Helton made calls, logging everything in her small spiral notebook. She wanted to see what could be done when blood from police activity stains your property. She called City Hall, Council Member David Franczyk's office, and Amherst Police. She believes it should be Amherst Police's responsibility, but says the lieutenant she spoke with told her to Google how to clean the blood.

"How would anybody feel when they tell you to Google to clean up blood that was on your property that wasn't caused by you," Helton said.

She says it's not the physical cleaning of the blood that's the biggest problem.

"It's the principle part of things," Helton said. "No matter how small it is to me it should be some type of concern to them."