Man who made racial comments in jail

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - News 4 has learned William Shanahan, the man whose racially charged comments shocked the Old First Ward and WNY, has a criminal record and is currently in custody.

Shanahan is currently being held for an alleged parole violation at the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden. He has served time on robbery and scheme to defraud charges in the past. But there's more to this story. Lackawanna Police want Shanahan to appear before a judge to face a charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

>> News 4 uncovered this information while working on a story involving electronic billboards being used by the FBI to announce a reward for information about a possible race-related arson in the Old First Ward. See that full story here

Detectives tell News 4 that Shanahan used the vehicle, which was later sold for $30 to buy crack cocaine. Shanahan has not been linked to that transaction and is only charged with unauthorized use. NFTA Police later recovered the car after stopping the driver of the stolen vehicle in Cheektowaga for a minor violation.

Capt. Leo of the Lackawanna Police said, "We forwarded a warrant for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle to Lackawanna City Court, and we're waiting for the warrant to come down so we could fax it over to the correctional facility to have him brought out to Lackawanna to be arraigned on that charge."

Shanahan made comments to News 4 in June that some called racist. He claimed minorities are responsible for destroying property values in the Old First Ward. Shanahan himself is not a member of that community, and neighbors were outraged by his comments.

>> You can judge the comments for yourself by listening to the exchange between Shanahan and News 4's Ed Drantch. You can also listen to Shanahan attempt to defend his comments on 103.3 The Edge.