Was murder work of rival tow company?

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - The weekend murder of a Buffalo tow truck operator raises serious questions about "cut-throat" competition in the city.

Police Commissioner Dan Derenda says they are making progress in their investigation into the murder of tow truck driver Corddaryl Henley. The father of six was shot as he drove his truck along Walden Avenue, Saturday afternoon, and crashed into the side of a house.

Robert Corsi, owner of Chase Towing, said, "Yeah there's always threats amongst the drivers. Rival companies are always trying to get that tow."

Corsi says competition between drivers for private tows is intense. And Henley might have been the target of a rival operator.

The 25-year-old worked for Corsi until a few months ago, when he went to work for Patriarch Towing on Doat Street.

"I've been threatened myself at the scene of an accident. I have been threatened to be stabbed, my family has been threatened. There was a driver stabbed a couple of years ago," Corsi said.

The owner of Patriarch Towing declined an on-camera interview, but he did tell News 4 he was with Henley hours before the shooting, and Henley did not say anything that would lead him to believe his life or personal safety was in danger.

City officials are now re-visiting a law that's been on the books for 40 years that authorizes Buffalo Police to more closely regulate tow truck operators and maybe make the job safer.

Derenda said, "The department has never implemented what was put on the books in 1974, and it was revised in 2001, but I don't know what the revisions were. We are going to look at it, we are going to look at all possible options."

North District Councilman Joseph Golombek urged, "Bring the professionals down, let them hash it out themselves, and then move forward from there."

If you can help Buffalo Police find Henley's killer, police are asking that you call or text their confidential tipline at 847-2255.