Incident

Date	Sep 12, 2020
Department	Buffalo Police Department
Officers	Karl B. Schultz
Address	Buffalo, NY

Incident Description

Willie Henley was shot in the abdomen by Buffalo police. "Put your bat down," calls out one officer with a gun pointed at Henley. "Nobody wants to hurt you." Henley, who continues to try to walk away from the group of more than half a dozen officers, some of whom have weapons drawn, responds, "I didn’t call y'all! I wasn’t doing nothing. I was by myself." Henley was known for carrying his baseball bat wherever he went, slept with it on street corners at night, and lined up for meals every day with it at the Buffalo City Mission. Those who regularly interacted with him described him as "very quiet, very peaceful."

Links

Dispatch records, video show tense 15 minutes that led to police shooting man
Just before 3 p.m. on Sept. 12, a call came into 911 from someone at or near the Lafayette Hotel on Washington Street about a man having a mental health crisis. - Maki Becker of The Buffalo News
Man shot by police in Buffalo arraigned on assault, weapon possession charges; officers identified
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn announced the arraignment of Willie Henley, a man shot by police on Genesee and Ash Streets in Buffalo over the weekend. - August Erbacher of WKBW
Mentally ill man shot by cops faces charges as dozens march through downtown
The mentally ill homeless man shot by Buffalo police Saturday afternoon carried his baseball bat wherever he went, slept with it on street corners at night, and lined up for meals every day with it at the Buffalo City Mission. Those who regularly interacted with him described him as "very quiet, very peaceful." - Sandra Tan of The Buffalo News
Buffalo cop who shot Willie Henley has pulled the trigger before
The Buffalo police officer who shot a distraught Willie Henley as he swung a baseball bat on Saturday also shot at a teenager while on duty in 2012. The 17-year-old was left paralyzed from the chest down. - Matthew Spina of The Buffalo News
Saturday’s shooting wasn’t Buffalo cop’s first
Officer who shot homeless man Saturday also involved in shooting that paralyzed teen in 2012 and cost Buffalo $4.5 million to settle. He's also been investigated 17 times by Internal Affairs, often for allegations of excessive use of force. - Investigative Post | Geoff Kelly