One brave Black man is dubbed a hero after stopping what could have been something truly tragic.
Last Thursday, a man walked into an Alba de Vida substance abuse treatment clinic in Buffalo, New York with an AR-15. It was revealed in a viral video that he fired just one round into the wall until what appeared to be a Black unnamed security guard forced the man against the wall. He then took him outside and pinned him to the ground until another security guard helped.
The entire footage was caught on surveillance that was released by the Buffalo police. Specifically, in the video, it shows 48-year-old Jeremy Griffin of Williamsville, New York, entering the clinic and brandishing his weapon before the security guard backs up and starts to restrain him.
The two struggled before the hero dragged Griffin outside before another security guard followed.
A little bit later two guards wrestled Griffin to the ground while two bystanders assisted with taking away the AR-15.
Officers said at least two more rounds were fired amid the struggle, but thankfully, no one was injured.
Affiliated with the human services nonprofit Acacia Network, the clinic is run by Promesa Inc. Among other things, it provides medication-assisted treatment for folks dealing with substance abuse.
“The Acacia Network commends the tremendous bravery of our employees, who immediately sprang into action and averted a possible tragedy, assistant vice president of communications Gabriela Gonzalez said to NPR.org. “We are proud of the safety and security measures we have in place, including our dedicated security personnel.”
Griffin is charged with several felonies, including attempted murder. Additionally, officers said he pulled up to a home on Pennsylvania Street and shot a woman in the leg before heading to the clinic. Fortunately, the woman was taken to Erie County Medical Center and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
“(Both shootings) were an attempted robbery seeking what we believe to be drugs,” Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gragmaglia said in a press conference. “There was, at this point, no other motive other than an attempted robbery.”
The Buffalo Police are working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to determine where the AR-15 came from. Officers mentioned the magazine was loaded up with more than ten rounds of ammunition, which is illegal in the state of New York. Not to mention that the New York SAFE Act prohibits possession of a magazine “that has the capacity to hold more than ten rounds of ammunition regardless of when it was manufactured or when it was obtained.” Investigators said the attack wasn’t planned.
