BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — When news of a gun arrest at the Tops on Jefferson Avenue on June 17 reached the public, there was confusion and outrage.
After the trauma of the mass shooting on May 14, 2022, people were hungry for information about the incident. What they got was a Facebook post from Buffalo Police on June 27.
That's when we covered the story. Police reported no connection between those arrests and the attack on Jefferson.
Alphonso Wright, the Buffalo Police Commissioner, now says he should've handled that differently.
"I could've called a press conference. Again, that's me. I made that mistake," said Wright.
WATCH: 'I made that mistake': BPD Commissioner discusses transparency after arrests at Tops on June 17
Common Council members say they're the ones who get the phone calls from upset neighbors.
"I didn't know, no one knew. My son was at work that day at the time that it happened. No one telling us what was going on, that's frustrating," said Zeneta Everhart, whose son was shot on May 14.
Wright got emotional when talking about this and clarifying what happened.
"We're gonna protect Tops," said Wright. "I protect that area like it's my own. If I thought something was anything to do with Tops, the public would've known."
Communication issues
This police oversight meeting was about accountability, transparency and communication.
But the meeting almost didn't happen as scheduled, because of an issue with communication.
At 11 a.m., when the meeting began, Wright was not in the council chambers.
"I thought it was gonna be rescheduled and it wasn't, so our team decided let's run over here," he explained. "Me being commissioner, I take the blame, but it was just miscommunication."
Wright and Wyatt clashed when he did show up, but shook hands and made up immediately after the meeting.
"I'm glad that he came," said Wyatt. "We have to have better communications because these things can't continue if we think we're going to improve trust with police."
The council also asked Wright who the police spokesperson is, and he said they do not have one.
Going forward, the plan is to have better communication between the department and council members and to get sensitive information to the public.
"I'm not the kind of person to hold a press conference for every gun arrest," said Wright. "But again, this is something people want to hear, and that's what they'll hear. I'm here to serve them."
