(WNY News Now) – A retired Buffalo police officer will serve five years of probation after shooting a 14-year-old boy during a confrontation at a downtown apartment complex.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announced that Antonio Roman, 66, of Buffalo, was sentenced Wednesday morning to five years of probation for shooting a teenager in the leg during an incident last year. The sentence was handed down by Erie County Court Judge Kenneth F. Case.
The incident occurred on the morning of February 8, 2024, at approximately 7:30 a.m., in the parking lot of the Marine Drive Apartment complex. Roman, a retired officer with the Buffalo Police Department, approached a group of individuals whom he suspected of breaking into vehicles. During the encounter, he discharged his legally owned handgun, striking a 14-year-old male in the leg.
The group fled in a vehicle that had been previously reported stolen from the Town of Amherst. The injured teen was transported by ambulance to Oishei Children’s Hospital, where he underwent surgery for his injuries.
On February 4, 2025, Roman pleaded guilty to one count of Assault in the Second Degree and one count of Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree—both classified as Class D felonies. He entered the plea on the day jury selection was set to begin for his trial.
In addition to probation, a final order of protection was issued, which will remain in effect until May 14, 2033, barring Roman from any contact with the victim.
District Attorney Keane praised the Buffalo Police Department’s Gun Violence Unit for its investigative work. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Frank A. Strano of the Major Crimes Bureau and Chief Eugene T. Partridge, III, of the Homicide Bureau.
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