Buffalo, New York (WNY News Now).Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane revealed on Tuesday that a retired Buffalo police officer had entered a guilty plea to shooting a 14-year-old boy outside the Marine Drive Apartment complex last year.An image of Antonio Roman from the Erie County DA’s office
Before his planned non-jury trial, Antonio Roman, 67, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree assault and one count of first-degree reckless endangerment, both Class D felonies.
Roman challenged a group of people in the complex’s parking area at around 7:30 a.m. on February 8, 2024, because he thought they were breaking into cars. Roman shot a 14-year-old male in the leg during the confrontation with his lawfully held firearm. After then, the group escaped in a car that was later found to have been stolen from Amherst. After being taken by ambulance to Oishei Children’s Hospital, the injured teenager had surgery.
Roman faces a maximum term of seven years in prison, although he is still at large on previously paid bail. The scheduled sentencing date is May 14, 2025, at 9:30 a.m.
The inquiry was led by the Buffalo Police Department’s Gun Violence Unit. Chief Eugene T. Partridge III of the Homicide Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Frank A. Strano of the Major Crimes Bureau prosecuted the case.