Two police officers in Buffalo, New York, were suspended without pay Thursday after video showed them pushing a 75-year-old man, causing him to fall back and hit his head on the sidewalk, Buffalo Police Department spokesman Mike DeGeorge told CNN. The man is hospitalized in serious but stable condition, DeGeorge said Friday. FOLLOW LIVE PROTEST UPDATESThe demonstrators in Niagara Square were, like those across the country, calling for racial justice after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. Based on initial video, police issued a statement that said the man tripped and fell, DeGeorge said. After more videos became available, police amended that statement, and Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood suspended the officers and opened an investigation, he said.”The department moved swiftly” and “corrected” the information, DeGeorge said.”This incident is wholly unjustified and utterly disgraceful, ” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Twitter. “Police Officers must enforce — NOT ABUSE — the law. “Mayor Byron Brown tweeted called the incident “disheartening” and said his thoughts were with the victim. read more

The sight and the sound of a 75-year-old protester’s head hitting the pavement after being shoved by Buffalo police officers has ignited a social-media firestorm. Video of the incident, which happened in Niagara Square shortly after Buffalo’s 8 p.m. curfew went into effect Thursday, was posted to Twitter at 9:13 p.m. by radio station WBFO-FM. Almost immediately, there was reaction — and not just from major news organizations.“I’m not sure why we would need to sign a petition to make this happen but it just did,” tweeted comedian Jim Gaffigan, who then asked people to sign a change.org petition demanding that one of the officers be fired; both have been suspended without pay, and neither has been criminally charged or officially identified. So far, the petition has gotten more than 207,0000 signatures.’Utterly disgraceful’: New York police officers suspended after viral video shows them shoving 75-year-old man to ground. Tweeted actor Seth Rogan: “Again, if they’re doing this to old white men ON camera, imagine what the (expletive) is happening off camera.”Other celebrities and people with large social-media followings — including Kelly Clarkson, Janelle Monae, Ice-T, Jemele Hill and Greta Thunberg — also have weighed in: read more

Two Buffalo police officers face criminal charges in the shoving of a 75-year-old protester who fell and cracked his head, ABC News has learned.

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President Donald Trump attacked the 75-year-old Buffalo protester who was shoved by police last week. The incident ignited a furor that led to the prosecution of two officers on charges of felony assault. Trump on Tuesday tweeted a wild and, to say the least, unsubstantiated and unproven conspiracy theory about the man, Martin Gugino. “Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur. 75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment. @OANN I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?”Ari Fleischer, press secretary under George W. Bush, was among those who quickly reacted to the tweet, writing, “The president’s penchant for trafficking in conspiracy theories is, politically speaking, going to ruin him. This is reckless. He doesn’t know when to stop.”Gugino is in serious but stable condition, according to his attorney. He had been demonstrating in a protest following the death of George Floyd. A local radio station captured him as he was approaching the officers, but was shoved. He fell to the ground and landed on the pavement, as blood pooled under his head. Related StoryDonald Trump Says He’s Retained Pollster To Refute CNN, Other Networks That Show Joe Biden LeadThe officers, Aaron Torgalski, 39, and Robert McCabe, 32, were suspended, but 57 officers resigned from the city’s emergency response unit in a union protest of the sanction. The officers have pleaded not guilty. Trump indicated he had been watching a segment on the incident on One America News Network, a right-leaning network known for its pro-Trump point of view. Elizabeth Harrington, national spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, retweeted Trump’s tweet and linked to a story claiming that Gugino was a “key major instigator” of vandalism and looting during last week’s unrest. The tweet was later deleted. Gugino is longtime peace activist from Amherst, according to the Buffalo News, and has been involved in the Western New York Peace Center. Gugino’s attorney, Kelly Zarcone, told CNN in a statement, “No one from law enforcement has even suggested anything otherwise so we are at a loss to understand why the President of the United States would make such dark, dangerous, and untrue accusations against him. Martin has always been a PEACEFUL protestor because he cares about today’s society.” read more

BUFFALO, N. Y. — Prosecutors investigated Friday after a television crew captured a police officer in Buffalo shoving a 75-year-old man who then falls and cracks his head, a confrontation that resulted in the suspension of two officers. The video from WFBO of Thursday night’s encounter, which happened near the conclusion of race protests over the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, quickly sparked outrage. In this image from video provided by WBFO, a Buffalo police officer appears to shove a man who walked up to police Thursday, June 4, 2020, in Buffalo, N. Y. Video from WBFO shows the man appearing to hit his head on the pavement, with blood leaking out as officers walk past to clear Niagara Square. Buffalo police initially said in a statement that a person “was injured when he tripped & fell,” WIVB-TV reported, but Capt. Jeff Rinaldo later told the TV station that an internal affairs investigation was opened. Mike Desmond/WBFO via APIt showed an officer pushing a man who approached a line of officers clearing demonstrators from Niagara Square around the time of an 8 p.m. curfew. The man falls backward and hits his head on the pavement. Blood leaks out as officers walk past. The mayor, Byron Brown, said in a statement that the man, who hasn’t been publicly identified, was in serious condition. A hospital official said he was “alert and oriented,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted Friday morning.“Let’s hope he fully recovers,” Poloncarz said. The video immediately generated outrage, including among elected officials, despite lacking the racial element that made the death of Floyd, a black man who died after a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck for several minutes, such a flashpoint. The officer and the man in the Buffalo video both appear to be white. Gov. Andrew Cuomo endorsed the suspensions, tweeting that what was seen on video was “wholly unjustified and utterly disgraceful.”The police commissioner suspended two police officers without pay, the mayor said. The district attorney’s office “continues to investigate the incident,” officials said in a news release, but the victim could not talk to investigators Thursday night. Buffalo police initially said in a statement that a person “was injured when he tripped & fell,” WIVB-TV reported, but Capt. Jeff Rinaldo later told the TV station an internal investigation was opened.“When I saw the video, certainly, it was incredibly distressing and very disappointing. You don’t want to see anything like that,” Brown told WIVB-TV on Friday. The office of state Attorney General Letitia James tweeted that officials there were aware of the video. U. S. Sen. Charles Schumer called for an investigation, according to a statement reported by WIVB-TV. read more

Prosecutors were investigating Friday after a video captured police in Buffalo shoving a 75-year-old man who then fell and cracked his head, a confrontation that resulted in the suspension of two officers.

Video of Thursday night’s encounter, which happened near the conclusion of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, quickly sparked outrage.

It shows a man identified as Martin Gugino approaching a line of helmeted officers holding batons as they clear demonstrators from Niagara Square around the time of an 8 p.m. curfew. read more

In this image from video provided by WBFO, a Buffalo police officer appears to shove a man who walked up to police on Thursday in Buffalo, N. Y. | Mike Desmond/WBFO via APProsecutors investigated Friday after a video captured a police officer in Buffalo shoving a 75-year-old man who then falls and cracks his head, a confrontation that resulted in the suspension of two officers. Video from public radio station WBFO of Thursday night’s encounter, which happened near the conclusion of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, quickly sparked outrage. It shows an older white man identified as Martin Gugino approaching a line of helmeted officers holding batons as they clear demonstrators from Niagara Square around the time of an 8 p.m. curfew. Two officers, who also appear to be white, pushed Gugino backward and he hit his head on the pavement. Blood spills as officers walk past. One officer leans down to check on the injured man before he is urged along by another officer.“Why? Why was that necessary? Where was the threat?” asked Gov. Andrew Cuomo at his daily briefing Friday. The governor said he spoke to the Gugino, who had been hospitalized in serious condition. “It’s just fundamentally offensive and frightening. How did we get to this place?”A hospital official said the man was “alert and oriented,” according to a Friday morning tweet by Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.“Let’s hope he fully recovers,” Poloncarz said. The video immediately generated outrage, including among elected officials, despite lacking the racial element that made the death of Floyd — a black man who died after a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck for several minutes — such a flashpoint. The police commissioner suspended two police officers without pay, said Mayor Byron Brown. Police officials were expected to provide more information at a news conference on Friday afternoon. The district attorney’s office “continues to investigate the incident,” officials said in a news release, but the victim could not talk to investigators Thursday night. Buffalo police initially said in a statement that a person “was injured when he tripped & fell,” WIVB-TV reported, but Capt. Jeff Rinaldo later told the TV station an internal investigation was opened.“When I saw the video, certainly, it was incredibly distressing and very disappointing. You don’t want to see anything like that,” Brown told WIVB-TV on Friday. The office of state Attorney General Letitia James tweeted that officials there were aware of the video. U. S. Sen. Charles Schumer called for an investigation, according to a statement reported by WIVB-TV.“The casual cruelty demonstrated by Buffalo police officers tonight is gut-wrenching and unacceptable,” John Curr, the Buffalo chapter director for the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement, adding that it should be a “wake-up call” for city leaders to address police violence. read more

Incident happened during protests over George Floyd’s death1 / 7In this image from video provided by WBFO, a Buffalo police officer appears to shove a man who walked up to police Thursday, June 4, 2020, in Buffalo, N. Y. Video from WBFO shows the man appearing to hit his head on the pavement, with blood leaking out as officers walk past to clear Niagara Square. Buffalo police initially said in a statement that a person was injured when he tripped & fell, WIVB-TV reported, but Capt. Jeff Rinaldo later told the TV station that an internal affairs investigation was opened. Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood suspended two officers late Thursday, the mayors statement said. (Mike Desmond/WBFO via AP)NEW YORK –NEW YORK (AP) — The latest night of protests in New York City sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police was markedly calmer, while video of a police officer appearing to shove an elderly protester who falls and cracks his head in Buffalo drew widespread condemnation. Video from WFBO showed a Buffalo police officer appearing to push the 75-year-old man who walked up to police clearing Niagara Square around the 8 p.m. curfew Thursday. The man falls straight backward and hits his head on the pavement, with blood leaking out as officers walk past. The video quickly went viral on social media, spurring outrage. Buffalo police initially said in a statement that a person “was injured when he tripped & fell,” WIVB-TV reported, but Capt. Jeff Rinaldo later told the TV station that an internal affairs investigation was opened. The police commissioner subsequently suspended two police officers without pay, Mayor Byron Brown said in a statement. The mayor of the western New York city, who expressed he was “deeply disturbed” by the video, said the unidentified man was in “stable but serious” condition at a hospital. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted Friday morning that a hospital official said the man was “alert and oriented.”“Let’s hope he fully recovers,” Poloncarz added. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo endorsed the officers’ suspensions, tweeting that what was seen on video was “wholly unjustified and utterly disgraceful.” The office of State Attorney General Letitia James tweeted that they were aware of the video. U. S. Sen. Charles Schumer called for an investigation, according to a statement reported by WIVB-TV.“The casual cruelty demonstrated by Buffalo police officers tonight is gut-wrenching and unacceptable,” John Curr, the Buffalo chapter director for the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement, adding that it should be a “wake-up call” for city leaders to address police violence. Calls and emails to Buffalo police from The Associated Press seeking comment Thursday night hadn’t been returned by Friday morning. Meanwhile in New York City, protesters again stayed on the streets past 8 p.m., in defiance of the citywide curfew that’s set to remain in effect through at least Sunday. read more

Prosecutors are investigating the actions of two Buffalo police officers who were suspended without pay on Thursday night after a video showed them shoving a 75-year-old protester, who was hospitalized with a head injury. The video taken by WBFO, a local radio station, shows the man, identified on Friday as Martin Gugino, approaching a group of officers during a protest stemming from the death of George Floyd. He was identified by the Western New York Peace Center, a nonprofit that named him in a Facebook post, saying he is a peace activist and a member. After the video shows Mr. Gugino stopping in front of the officers to talk, an officer yells “push him back” three times; one officer pushes his arm into Mr. Gugino’s chest, while another extends his baton toward him with both hands. Mr. Gugino flails backward, landing just out of range of the camera, with blood immediately leaking from his right ear. An officer leans down to examine him, the video shows, but another officer then pulls the first officer away. Several other officers are seen walking by the man, motionless on the ground, without checking on him. On Friday, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement that prosecutors were investigating the incident. It said Mr. Gugino was unable to provide a statement to investigators on Thursday night at the Erie County Medical Center, where he was taken for treatment for the head injury. On Friday, Mr. Gugino was in serious but stable condition and was alert and oriented, according to a hospital spokesman. The video, which rapidly spread across social media, added to a growing body of videos from across the nation that showed officers responding to protests against police violence with more police violence. Fury among online supporters of the protests was heightened by the Police Department’s initial claim that he “tripped and fell, ” a description at direct odds with the video. On Friday, John T. Evans, the president of the Buffalo police union, said all 57 officers on the Emergency Response Team, a special squad formed to respond to riots, had resigned from their posts on the team in support of the suspended officers, according to The Buffalo News. The officers remain members of the department.“These officers were simply following orders from Deputy Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia to clear the square, ” Mr. Evans told The News. “It doesn’t specify clear the square of men, 50 and under or 15 to 40. They were simply doing their job. I don’t know how much contact was made. He did slip in my estimation. He fell backwards. ”The union and the Buffalo Police Department did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on Friday. Byron Brown, the mayor of Buffalo, said the city was aware of the development.“At this time, we can confirm that contingency plans are in place to maintain police services and ensure public safety within our community, ” he said. read more