Violent Felon Dante Richardson Refuses to Cooperate with Police After Curious Shooting

A "Niagara Falls man" wounded in an early morning shooting on the New York State Thruway remains at the center of an investigation filled with bizarre statements and unanswered questions as law enforcement pieces together what actually happened.

Niagara Action was first to identify the shooting  victim as 32-year-old Dante Richardson, a former failed legislative candidate for the Niagara County Legislature. Richardson suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his legs and has since been released from the hospital.

The shooting occurred shortly after midnight as Richardson was driving northbound on the I-190. He was operating a Chevy Impala with a female passenger seated in the front, referred to as his girlfriend. At some point between the Vulcan Street and Sheridan Drive/Kenmore Avenue exits a dark-colored vehicle reportedly pulled alongside Richardson’s car and fired multiple shots into the driver’s side door of Richardson's vehicle.

According to sources, Richardson and his passengers were on their way home from a bar. It is unknown if Richardson was intoxicated.

Investigators documented three bullet holes along the left side of the Impala, including two rounds that entered below the driver’s side door handle and another penetrating near the front edge of the rear driver’s side door. Richardson was struck multiple times in the legs.

Richardson later told authorities that he began losing sensation in his legs at which point his girlfriend climbed over him to continue driving the car toward Niagara Falls. During that time, 911 was called to report the shooting.

However, this information has already prompted suspicion due to the space available for two people to fit on the driver’s side of the vehicle as Richardson allegedly never moved.

Niagara Falls police officers were already at the hospital when the Impala arrived around 1am. Officers encountered Richardson and two passengers, neither of whom were injured. Hospital staff brought Richardson inside for treatment. He was later transferred by ambulance to Erie County Medical Center.

Before New York State troopers arrived, Niagara Falls police secured Richardson’s vehicle and noted the visible bullet damage. A bullet was also recovered from the roadway near the car. The vehicle and evidence were later turned over to the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation who have assumed control of the case.

Once at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, Richardson reportedly refused to cooperate with law enforcement and told them to leave-a questionable decision for someone who purports to be the victim of a crime.

However, this is not surprising given Richardson’s history with law enforcement. In 2014, he was convicted in Erie County Court of first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery, and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon for a violent home invasion that occurred in Buffalo in 2012. He is considered a violent felon under New York's penal code.

Prosecutors alleged the home invasion was both calculated and violent. Once inside the home wearing masks and armed with a loaded .32 caliber pistol, Richardson and his accomplice Wielbon repeatedly threatened the victim’s life while demanding money. One allegation was that the gun was forced into the woman's mouth, breaking at least one of her teeth.

Richardson fled the residence when Buffalo Police arrived, escaping $10 in cash and a bag of condoms.

On April 4th, 2014, Judge Case sentenced him to 10 years in state prison. Richardson ultimately served eight years of that sentence before being  released on parole, where he remained under supervision until 2023.

In their press release, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office joked that after Richardson’s trial the jury, “quickly saw through the defendant’s lies, as evidenced by their 1½ hours of deliberations, which included lunch.”

As of now, the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation continues to examine physical evidence, review surveillance and traffic data, and interview any potential witnesses.

No arrests have been made at this time.

For now, the shooting has left more questions than answers.

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Violent Felon Dante Richardson Refuses to Cooperate with Police After Curious Shooting