Police may have found Falls murder weapon

Rick Pfeiffer, Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
·1 min read

Oct. 31—A firearm recovered from the upper Niagara River rapids on Thursday may be a murder weapon.

New York State Park Police were alerted to the weapon in the water just before 2 p.m. after it was spotted by someone traveling over the vehicle bridge to Goat Island in the Falls state park.

Park Police patrol officers, who were dispatched to the area, confirmed that the item that was spotted from the bridge did appear to be a firearm.

Niagara Falls firefighters joined with members of the Park Police Niagara Swiftwater team and lowered Officer Jason Walsh over the bridge and into the fast-moving waters of the rapids. Once in the water, Walsh was able to secure what was described as a shotgun.

The officer also reportedly recovered a cell phone from the water.

Park Police Major Clyde Doty, the commander of the Niagara Barracks, said the recovered items "may or may not have evidentiary value."

On Friday, sources told the Gazette that the shotgun and cell phone had been turned over to Falls police. Sources also said that NFPD criminal investigation and Crime Scene Unit detectives were examining the shotgun and treating it as a "possible murder weapon."

Falls police have not commented on the weapon recovery or on whether the shotgun may be linked to a murder case in the city.