Failed Niagara County Legislative Candidate Dante Richardson Shot Driving Home from Bar

Niagara Falls police assisted New York State Police early Monday morning after a gunshot victim drove to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center (NFMMC) under circumstances that investigators are still working to clarify.

Niagara Falls Police were alerted around 1am after a 911 caller reported they were en route to the hospital with a shooting victim following an incident on the New York State Thruway. State troopers were also dispatched to the hospital in response due to the location of the incident.

Officers encountered a Chevy Impala stopped outside the hospital and made contact with the male driver, who had suffered gunshot wounds, along with two passengers who were uninjured. Hospital staff brought the driver inside for treatment.

The victim has been identified as 32-year-old Dante Richardson.

Police said the driver had been shot at multiple times and sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries. He was later transported by ambulance to Erie County Medical Center for additional care.

Before state troopers arrived, Niagara Falls officers secured the vehicle and noted three visible bullet holes along the driver’s side. A projectile was also found in the roadway near the car.

Preliminary information provided to police indicates the vehicle was traveling on the Thruway in the Buffalo area when gunfire struck the car with rounds piercing the door and hitting the driver on the left side of his body.

The shooting occurred between the Vulcan Street exit and the Sheridan Drive/Kenmore Avenue exit according to a New York State Troopers news release.

A vehicle pulled up next to the victim's Malibu and fired multiple shots, at least one of which hit Richardson. He then continued driving to NFMMC.

According to a law enforcement source, the driver and both passengers reportedly had left a bar and were traveling to Niagara Falls when the incident occurred.

However, many questions remain unanswered as to the circumstances surrounding the incident. The New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation has taken over the case. A motive for the incident remains unclear.

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Failed Niagara County Legislative Candidate Dante Richardson Shot Driving Home from Bar