BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Two men were shot and killed in back-to-back homicides in Buffalo on Sunday and Monday nights.
A gunman shot and killed 31-year-old Kenneth Harkness on Townsend Street on Sunday night.
On Monday night, 21-year-old Jihad Gibbs was killed when a gunman fired shots into a store on Walden Avenue.
Tuesday afternoon, police announced the arrest of Angel Gonzalez-Rondon, 22, of Cheektowaga, in connection with Gibbs' death. He was charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon, among other charges.
Records show Gonzelez-Rondon had been out on parole since January, related to a conviction out of Jamestown.
I asked Interim Police Commissioner Craig Macy about the sudden burst of gun violence.
WATCH: Buffalo police investigate back-to-back homicides in the city in recent days
"We do not believe that they are connected to the homicide that happened on Sunday night," Macy said of the Monday night shooting.
Still, he said, "Any time there is a homicide in the city of Buffalo, it's concerning," Macy said.
He says that overall gun violence still remains low.
Last year at this time, there were 10 homicides in Buffalo. So far this year, there have been five, including the two this past weekend.
Shootings are also down by 50 percent, with 24 last year at this time and 12 so far in 2026.
But police say they still need the public's help.
"Many of these homicides, we believe that there's people that have information that are not fully disclosing all of that information to the homicide unit," Macy said.
Macy says police will be stepping up directed patrols in these gun violence hot spots, a tactic Buffalo police have been using to reduce violence.
"We track all instances of gun violence, whether it is bullet-to-body or not. Typically, we stay out for several months after the incident and then we incorporate that into the directed patrols to reduce the likelihood of a secondary incident at those locations," Macy said.
Residents can expect an increased police presence at both of the shooting locations. Police ask anyone with information about these incidents to reach out to them.
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