Man gunned down near the Chip Strip

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - After a man was gunned down early Sunday morning in Buffalo's Entertainment District, neighbors are worried about their safety.

A man in his 20s was shot around 4:30 a.m. in the parking lot of a club that had closed hours before at South Elmwood Avenue and Johnson Parkway, near Chippewa Street. Homicide detectives say he later died at ECMC.

One neighbor, who's been begging City Hall to install a security camera in the community, recalled telling officials just last week, "What, does somebody have to get killed out here before we get some attention?" The remark foreshadowed the young man's murder. But it happened in an area neighbors say is plagued by crime and violence.

"I've lived here for seven years, and it's gotten progressively worse," Gary said.

Residents News 4 spoke to say that every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, drunken revelers and criminals converge on Johnson Park and wreak havoc. Non-working street lights and an abandoned building further invite the unwanted element into the community.

Gary noted, "I have a 100-pound guard dog. My neighbors have a security system. They stand on their porches between 3 and 6 in the morning."

Ann added, "People who are able to are up all night watching and calling the police when there's an incident that looks like it's going to turn into something."

Some neighbors have resorted to policing their own neighborhood because their repeated calls to the city's 311 hotline asking for help have gone unanswered and ignored.

Gary said, "On that pole right there I'm asking for a crime camera. I'm asking for increased police patrols."

"With the police presence concentrated on Chippewa Street, it makes the surrounding area extremely dangerous," Ann added.

Councilman Darius Pridgen responded, "I understand their frustration. Especially when you've invested in your community, invested in your house, you don't want to have to get up in the middle of the night to patrol your neighborhood. Wrong, wrong, wrong."

Pridgen's district is one of two that overlap the neighborhood. He says he is all for the city looking for ways to improve the quality of life for these residents, but adds area businesses also need to do their part.

"A gentleman is laying in the funeral home because knuckleheads think they can come into the City of Buffalo and do whatever the hell they want to do," Pridgen said.

Police and mayoral spokesman Mike DeGeorge tells News 4 that Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda has been in touch with some residents of Johnson Park and that the police department is looking at installing more cameras. The location at Johnson Park and South Elmwood Avenue is one of the areas under consideration.