Statement of United States Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr.

The following press release was published by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on June 29, 2021. It is reproduced in full below.

This Office and our federal partners remain in regular contact with the leadership of both the Buffalo and Rochester Police Departments as well as both the Erie County and Monroe District Attorney’s Offices, as we assist them in addressing the increasing violence, gun crimes, and homicides we are experiencing in both cities. District Attorney Sandra Doorley and I are meeting with Rochester Police Chief Herriott-Sullivan tomorrow morning to discuss how increased federal prosecutions and resources might help to address the problem there. Similar discussions are and have been ongoing with both the BPD and District Attorney Flynn here in Buffalo. On Thursday, I am convening a meeting of federal agency heads in the District, including the ATF, DEA, FBI, HSI, and the USMS, so that we can fine-tune our federal strategy and response, which we will publicly announce next week.

Source: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives