Niagara Falls man pleads guilty to gun charge

Submitted by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office

Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announced 36-year-old Vincent E. Smith of Niagara Falls pleaded guilty this morning before Erie County Court Judge James Bargnesi to one count of attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree (class “D” felony).

On Jan. 29, 2023, the defendant pointed an illegal pistol at the victim during an altercation at a residence on Riverdale Avenue in the Town of Tonawanda. When a bystander intervened, the defendant fired one shot into the floor and hit the bystander with the gun. The defendant, who was on parole at the time of the crime, fired another shot at the house after being escorted out of the party, which was witnessed by several individuals. A search warrant was executed at the defendant’s residence on Ferry Avenue in the City of Niagara Falls, but no weapon was recovered following the incident.

Smith faces a maximum of 12 years to life in prison when he is sentenced as a persistent violent felony offender on Monday, Dec. 11. He remains held without bail.

DA Flynn commends the Town of Tonawanda Police Department and the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision parole officers for their work in this investigation.

The case was prosecuted by assistant district attorneys Kevin R. Brown and Nicholas C. Bussi of the felony trials bureau.