(WNY News Now) – A Niagara Falls man has been sentenced to 12 years to life in prison after a violent altercation involving a firearm, marking his third felony conviction.
Buffalo, N.Y. – Vincent E. Smith, 37, of Niagara Falls, was sentenced to 12 years to life in prison as a persistent violent felony offender. Erie County Court Judge James Bargnesi handed down the sentence after Smith pleaded guilty to Attempted Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a Class D felony.
The incident occurred on January 29, 2023, at a residence on Riverdale Avenue in the Town of Tonawanda. During an altercation, Smith pointed an illegal firearm at a victim and later fired shots inside the home. When a bystander intervened, Smith hit the bystander with the gun before being forced outside. Witnesses reported that he fired another shot at the house after leaving the scene. Smith was on parole at the time of the offense.
A search of Smith’s home on Ferry Avenue in Niagara Falls failed to recover the weapon. Despite the lack of evidence in his residence, Smith’s criminal history and his actions during the altercation led to his severe sentencing under New York’s persistent violent felony offender law.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Stephen C. Papia. Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane commended the Town of Tonawanda Police Department and parole officers for their investigation.
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