Saturday, May 5, 2012

Tow truck driver shot dead crashes into Buffalo, NY, house - @TheBuffaloNews

A tow truck driver was killed and another man critically wounded after two separate shootings in Buffalo on Saturday.

Corddaryl Henley, 25, of Buffalo, was driving a tow truck when he was shot and crashed the vehicle into a house at Walden and Latour avenues Saturday afternoon in the city's Martin Luther King Park neighborhood. Henley was pronounced dead at the scene.

In the other case, a 23-year-old man was shot six to nine times just after midnight Saturday while sitting on his front porch in the 300 block of Johnson Street, off Genesee Street, according to police.

Police records said Stephan Overton was taken to Erie County Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition.

Henley had just dropped off a vehicle at Latour Auto shortly before 1:40 p.m., said Dennis J. Richards, chief of detectives.

Henley was still inside his truck when a silver or gray vehicle pulled up and a gunman fired multiple shots at him, Richards said.

Henley, who was able to pull away, drove the tow truck south on Latour, when he struck a parked car, a fire hydrant and a second vehicle traveling westbound on Walden, where it intersects with Latour, Richards said.

The tow truck came to stop when it crashed into the front porch of Keith Davis' home at 75 Walden.

Ferry-Fillmore District officers responding to the report of the crash found the driver dead at the scene.

Investigators did not indicate whether the shooting was a random incident, or Henley was targeted.

Davis had just finished lunch and was watching television with his wife when he heard the commotion outside.

"I heard about three or four 'bangs,'" said Davis, while cleaning up the rubble from his damaged porch.

"We thought it was a car accident," said Davis, 57, who has lived in the house for 28 years. "We looked out the window and the truck was up on our lawn."

The tow truck also damaged a red Dodge Charger traveling in front of the house on Walden, Davis said. The car's front passenger side was damaged. The driver of the Dodge got out of the car and was sprawled out on the sidewalk, Davis said. The driver was taken to the hospital, Davis added.

Police and firefighters, meanwhile, arrived on the scene quickly and found the tow truck driver dead, Davis said.

An autopsy will be performed by the Erie County medical examiner.

Anyone with information about either case is asked to call or text message the Buffalo police anonymous TIP-CALL line at 847-2255 or submit the information via the "Report a Tip" function on the department's website, www.bpdny.org.

jrey@buffnews.com and gwarner@buffnews.com null

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