Man referenced Buffalo mass shooting in threatening calls to businesses, NY cops say
A man made threatening phone calls to businesses in Buffalo, New York, and referenced the city’s recent mass shooting at a grocery store, according to law enforcement officials.
He is accused of making the calls on May 15, one day after an 18-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 10 people and injuring three more at the state grocery chain Tops Friendly Markets in Buffalo on May 14, according to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office.
Joseph S. Chowaniec, 52, of Buffalo, is charged with making a terroristic threat after being accused of threatening a Buffalo pizzeria and a brewery, the office said in a May 16 news release. He appeared in court for an arraignment on May 16.
In one of the calls made to the pizzeria, Bocce Club Pizza, Chowaniec said he would “shoot up” the business “like the Tops on Jefferson” Avenue “while complaining about a pizza,” according to Buffalo police, WIVB reported.
This call “created a reasonable expectation of fear,” and the pizzeria shut down for the rest of the day, according to the district attorney’s office.
Then, about 40 minutes later, Chowaniec is accused of calling a downtown brewery and referenced the mass shooting again “with the intent to intimidate,” the news release said.
The shooting is being investigated as “a domestic terrorism incident,” Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn said in a statement. It’s also being investigated as a hate crime attack, Flynn said in a separate news release.
On May 14, Payton S. Gendron is accused of “targeting innocent people who were shopping for their groceries on a Saturday afternoon,” Flynn said.
Gendron, who is white, showed up to the supermarket on May 14 wearing “tactical gear,” Flynn said, and killed 10 Black people, The Associated Press reported.
Meanwhile, when Buffalo police located Chowaniec after they said he made the calls, they found him holding a sign that said “Uncle Sam dismantle white supremacy” while standing on a street corner, according to WIVB.
Chowaniec will appear in court on May 20 for a felony hearing, according to the news release. He’s been “remanded without bail pending the results of a forensic examination.”
If he’s convicted on the felony charge , he could face a maximum prison sentence of seven years, the office said.
“This defendant is accused of making threatening phone calls to businesses and referencing this horrific shooting as the entire City of Buffalo is grieving this tragedy. This crime will not be tolerated,” Flynn said.
Buffalo is in upstate New York and roughly 20 miles south of Niagara Falls.
This story was originally published May 17, 2022 at 8:30 AM with the headline "Man referenced Buffalo mass shooting in threatening calls to businesses, NY cops say."
.jpg)