BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Buffalo woman is suing the City of Buffalo and LaSalle Ambulance, also known as AMR, claiming her 18-year-old brother would still be alive if first responders had acted appropriately after he was shot two years ago.
The 13-page lawsuit, filed in state court, accuses both the city and the ambulance provider of negligence and failure to provide timely emergency medical care.
According to the complaint, Columbus Eric Brooks Jr. was shot in the abdomen near Woodlawn Avenue and Dupont Street in 2023.
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The lawsuit alleges emergency crews treated him as if he were having a heart attack, rather than a gunshot victim, and delayed getting him to the hospital, even though ECMC was just a three-minute drive away.
“All of their efforts could have and should have been performed while en route to the hospital, not out there on the street,” the suit states.
The lawsuit comes as AMR faces ongoing scrutiny in Buffalo. For more than a year, city leaders have raised concerns about AMR’s delayed response times and the fact that the company continues to operate in Buffalo without a formal contract—or paying a franchise fee to the city.
Buffalo Common Council Member Mitch Nowakowski has been outspoken about the issue.
“The city and AMR are at a standoff,” Nowakowski told 7 News. “We’re talking about emergency services for people who face crises every day. We can’t keep playing ping pong with this. It’s gone on far too long—and it’s ridiculous.”
Both the city and AMR have yet to respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit.
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