BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Elmwood Village is known for it's walkability. A couple that moved to the neighborhood two weeks ago, went on a walk Wednesday afternoon to get coffee and sandwiches.
They were near Elmwood and West Ferry at about 2 p.m. when a man walked towards them.
“The guy just said 'yo' and stabbed my boyfriend in the stomach,” the girlfriend said.
The couple wishes to remain anonymous while police investigate.
The victim's girlfriend said there was no confrontation, or signs the man was violent as he walked towards them.
“It didn’t immediately register to me that it was a knife, or it was a weapon," she said. "I just saw the splash, and then he ran away, and I saw my boyfriend grabbing his stomach. "And I saw blood, and that's when it hit me that he had been stabbed.”
Police have footage of the incident and believe the stabbing was random.
“It has us both on edge because you don’t know why it happened, there was no reason, and so you are afraid it's gonna happen again," she said. "And then also just knowing that the attacker is still out there, and hasn't been apprehended, and I know that they looked really hard, but it's still really really scary to know that that persons out there" she said.
**7 Eyewitness News obtained surveillance video of the stabbing. It appears below unedited. Viewer discretion is advised.**
STABBING WAS WEDNESDAY--not yesterday. Sorry for the confusion. 2PM https://t.co/m9KyBJZH4Z
— Hannah Buehler (@HannahBuehler) January 29, 2021
Kenneth Kerr lives in the Elmwood Village .
"Anybody that hears that now they’re gonna be afraid every time they walk by that corner, they don’t need to be but that's just part of human nature," Kerr said.
Kerr said he is a regular user of the site Nextdoor and that neighbors have been expressing concerns over safety in the Elmwood Village recently. Crime records show there have been some robberies and thefts in the area during December and January.
“People are worried, sure," he said. "People are worried anytime you hear there’s things going on you know whether you’re a part of it or not people are concerned.”
According BPD Deputy Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia, a car was stolen on Anderson Place Sunday. He said it was left running and unattended. A few blocks away on Ashland Avenue, Gramaglia said credit cards were stolen from inside a car.
In regards to robberies, Gramaglia said there is no rise in B-District robberies compared to this month last year.
"There's definitely no spikes when looking at the same time frames last year, and the year before that," Gramaglia said.
He said officers started a foot patrol in the area, after a meeting between neighbors, police, and the mayor.
“These foot patrols are gonna continue," Gramaglia said. "This is a part of business going forward. We’ve been able to put more officers in that district with the new class that just came out," he said.
He said the department has additional officers following the disbanding of the traffic unit.
Some neighbors, like Bruce Leader, said they haven't noticed any increase in crime, and feel safe while out walking the dog at night.
"I think that crime comes and goes, and I couldn't tell you the exact factors as to what causes it to go up or down, probably part of the time of the year," he said.
Kerr said he's noticed increased police presence recently in the Elmwood Village, and said it's a positive step.
The victim's girlfriend hopes for more community and police collaboration to keep people safe.
The victim had surgery and is in the hospital recovering.
“We love the Elmwood Village like it's such an amazing place. We were so excited to move there, and are still excited to live there, but I don’t know when I’m gonna feel comfortable walking down Elmwood again."
