Afternoon News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on February 28, 2024
Most of Western NY was under a special weather statement warning residents of the Wind Advisory that goes from this afternoon through Thursday at 4AM. Officials are expecting winds from the west at 25 to 35 miles per hour with gusts of up to 55 miles per hour. Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle.
A Lyft driver in Rochester told police he saw a suspect fire shots at a house on Kelly Street just before the suspect approached him and stole his vehicle. The victim said he was conducting a Lyft pickup on Kelly Street near Joseph Avenue around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday when he observed the shots fired. He said the suspect then approached him and demanded his vehicle. The victim complied and the suspect drove off. He was not hurt. Police learned there were four people, including two children, inside the house that was fired upon. None of them were hurt.
An arrest has now been made in connection with shootings in Rochester that left one person dead and another hurt. Authorities say 34-year-old Kwame Acosta allegedly killed 27-year-old Davarcea Fort during a dispute on Farragut Street last week. Acosta is also accused of shooting another man, but that victim survived. He is facing several charges and is in the Monroe County Jail without bail.
A big drug bust was announced Tuesday in Erie County that Sheriff John Garcia said potentially saved thousands of lives. 39-year-old Donel Cathcart of Buffalo is under arrest. He was taken into custody during a traffic stop after leaving his home on Whitehall Avenue. The Sheriff said more than $325,000, over 10 ounces of cocaine and crack cocaine, and one kilo of fentanyl was seized. According to Garcia, two search warrants were executed before the arrest. One at Cathcart’s home on Whitehall Avenue in Buffalo and another at an apartment he’s connected to in West Seneca on Benson Avenue.
The bankrupt Buffalo Diocese will attempt to sell at least two dozen properties as it faces nearly 900 child sex abuse claims, according to court documents filed in federal court. Retaining Hanna Commercial Real Estate as its broker, the diocese filed a list with 22 properties it’s looking to sell. It includes the diocese’s headquarters, known as the Catholic Center, three college Newman Centers and priest retirement homes. Although not listed, St. Andrew’s Church, St. Andrew’s Day School and All Saints Parish will also be on the market. Christ the King seminary was listed in November for $5.3 million. The diocese said it would have to pay, at minimum, $100 million to settle the sex-abuse lawsuits.
The three-game winning streak of the Buffalo Sabres has been snapped after the team suffers a tough loss on the road. Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens each had goals for the Sabres who fell to the Florida Panthers three-to-two at FLA Live Arena last night. Buffalo goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen faced 37 shots in the contest and was able to stop 34 of them. Buffalo’s next game is tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
