State Police are investigating a deadly shooting late Monday night in the town of Perrysburg, Cattaraugus County, on the Cattaraugus Indian Territory.
Troopers say the incident happened around 11:27 p.m. on Whites Drive. According to investigators, 18-year-old Tylin Thomas Jr. of Perrysburg was standing outside a 2012 Buick Verano occupied by 23-year-old driver Ryan Mohawk and 23-year-old passenger Caleb Stafford, both also from Perrysburg.
Police say Thomas fired an AK-47 style rifle at the car, killing Mohawk and injuring Stafford. Thomas then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Authorities say Stafford drove the vehicle to a nearby home to call for help. The investigation determined that the three men had been involved in an argument earlier in the day and that all had been drinking before the shooting.
Autopsies conducted at Olean General Hospital ruled Mohawk’s death a homicide and Thomas’s death a suicide.
The New York State Police Forensic Identification Unit, Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Cattaraugus County and Erie County Sheriff’s Offices, Seneca Nation Marshal’s Office, Gowanda Police Department, and the Cattaraugus County District Attorney’s Office are assisting in the ongoing investigation.
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