New video on Tuesday night drive-by in Elmira
ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) — New details and video were gathered on Wednesday regarding a drive-by shooting that took place on Spaulding Street in Elmira late Tuesday.
18 News obtained new video of last night’s shooting which shows a dark vehicle driving southeast on Spaulding Street at a high rate of speed after what sounded like gunshots down the street when the car was out of view.
Original Post: One arrested after drive-by shooting in Elmira
In the video, you hear at least six shots coming from the northern end of Spaulding Street before seeing a vehicle driving southeast, drive past the camera, and go out of frame. No other vehicles were seen on the road at the time.
Wednesday morning, May 22, 18 News went to the location of the shooting and found several detectives in the area trying to speak to the people at the house, who declined to talk to police and be on camera, about what happened Tuesday.
18 News did see at least one bullet hole on the railing of the house, which detectives at the scene pointed out, they added that another hole was near the door, but that wasn’t visible.
Elmira Police Chief reacts to 33% drop in gunshot calls
As for the vehicle, Elmira Police Captain Christopher Osiecki told 18 News that four individuals ran from police, with one being captured, and the vehicle was taken to the city impound lot.
Captain Osiecki said that at least one bullet hole was found in the roof of the vehicle, but couldn’t say if it was from the people inside the car or if it was return fire.
When speaking to detectives at the Elmira Police Detective Bureau, they denied allowing us access to the vehicle to not interfere with an active investigation.
Elmira Police say it’s unclear if the drive-by is connected to a deadly shooting Monday night near “Gush’s Thirsty Bear” bar on East Washington Avenue.
Before these two shootings, public records showed reported gunshots in Elmira declined by 33% this year, when compared to the same time last year. As of May 13, 2024 there were 14 reported shootings in the City of Elmira. That was down from 22 reported shootings during the same time period in 2023. The decline came after reported shootings in Elmira more than doubled in the last 5 years.
In an interview on Monday, we asked Police Chief Kristen Thorne about the main reasons driving gun violence. “A lot of it is drug-related, it seems drugs and guns go hand in hand,” Chief Thorne said. “A lot of times it’s just an argument between somebody that festers and the result is a shooting or a murder, but a lot of it is drug related.”
Last summer, the Elmira Police Department received a more than $380,000 state grant from the “Gun Involved Violence Elimination” initiative. Chief Thorne says the money allowed the Detective Bureau to hire two full-time investigators to focus on gun crimes.
Chief Thorne also confirmed a “gunshot detection system” will be installed around the city. It will be paid for with a different state grant of nearly $450,000. Chief Thorne said the system will speed up response times to shooting incidents. There is no timetable yet for when the installation will be complete.
You can watch the full video of Tuesday night’s shooting below:
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