BUFFALO, N.Y. – A police sniper’s rifle was reportedly blown off the top of a roof and plunged to the ground below during a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Buffalo, officials confirmed.
“This is something that doesn’t happen, can’t happen, nor I’ve never heard of this happening,” Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia told WGRZ.
The loaded rifle fell to the sidewalk below, merely feet away from people attending the festivities about 1:45 p.m. on Sunday, WKBW reported.
Fortunately, the firearm did not discharge and an officer quickly retrieved the weapon.
The commissioner told WGRZ that a police investigation showed a severe gust of wind blew the rifle over, causing it to fall.
“It’s not that it was physically being handled, it wasn’t dropped,” he told the news outlet.
Photos show an officer a few steps from the rifle, placed in an “overwatch” position for public safety.
The rifle was mounted on a tripod near the edge of the roof with a weight suspended beneath it to hold it in place, WIVB reported.
“If protocol was followed and yet that still happened then we have to look into other policies and procedures to make sure nothing like this ever happens again,” Gramaglia told WIVB.
The commissioner said they always have a SWAT presences at mass gathering events. In past years, they’ve kept a lower “in the shadows” profile. However, they’ve changed their approach during the last 18 months to having a highly visible presence in order to make people feel more secure.
“Part of that is overwatch observation,” Gramaglia said. “You have to look over the crowd. You have to be able to see higher elevation points.”
