(WNY News Now) – A 26-year-old Buffalo man with a prior felony gun conviction was arrested after police recovered a loaded handgun following a disturbance on Ashley Street.
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced the arrest of William Morrison, Jr., 26, of Buffalo, who has been charged by criminal complaint with being a felon in possession of a firearm. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, Buffalo Police responded to a report of a man with a gun near Ashley and Mohr Streets late on the night of July 19, 2024. The caller told dispatch that the individual, later identified as Morrison, was wearing an ankle monitor and was seen waving a black pistol.
Officers were directed to a nearby residence on Ashley Street, which the caller referred to as a “dope house.” Upon arrival, officers observed Morrison fleeing from the rear of the property. He was apprehended shortly thereafter.
A search of the yard area where Morrison had run led officers to a loaded 9mm handgun. Records show that Morrison was previously convicted of a felony gun charge in Erie County Court in November 2019, making it illegal for him to possess a firearm under federal law.
Morrison appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was ordered held pending a detention hearing.
The arrest resulted from a joint investigation led by the Buffalo Police Department, under Commissioner Alfonse Wright, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), headed by Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller.
Authorities emphasize that the charge is only an accusation. Morrison is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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