(WNY News Now) – BUFFALO, N.Y. — A 17-year-old Buffalo resident has pleaded guilty to bringing an unloaded handgun into a Buffalo public school, according to Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane.
The adolescent offender entered a guilty plea Wednesday morning before Youth Part Judge Brenda Freedman to one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon on School Grounds, a Class E felony. Prosecutors said the plea was entered to the highest sustainable charge.
The case stems from an incident on April 1, 2026, when school personnel discovered an unloaded handgun inside the student’s bag at a school located on the 600 block of East Delavan Avenue in Buffalo. The weapon was recovered by a school security guard during a search at approximately 11 a.m.
Authorities said the offense occurred shortly after the teen had been arrested in a separate firearm-related investigation. On March 18, 2026, Buffalo Police executed a search warrant at the adolescent offender’s residence on South Domedion Street. Investigators reported seeing the teen throw what appeared to be a firearm from a rear window of the home. Police recovered a loaded illegal pistol equipped with a large-capacity feeding device.
In that earlier case, the teen also pleaded guilty on June 3 to one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, a Class D felony, and one count of Criminal Possession of a Firearm, a Class E felony.
The adolescent offender is scheduled to be sentenced on August 19, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. Due to his age and eligibility for youthful offender adjudication, prosecutors are not releasing his name while the case remains pending in Youth Part of Superior Court.
The teen remains held without bail at the Erie County Youth Services Center.
District Attorney Keane commended the Buffalo Police Department for its work on both investigations.
The cases are being prosecuted by Chief Nicholas Marino and Assistant District Attorney Taylor L. Yensan of the Raise the Age/Motor Vehicle Theft Insurance Fraud Unit.
Leave a Reply