New York State Office of the Attorney General
09/04/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/04/2026 09:32
Attorney General James Releases Footage from Investigation into Death of Charles Butler
September 4, 2026
NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James today released body-worn camera footage that her office obtained as part of its ongoing investigation into the death of Charles Butler, who died on March 5, 2026 following an encounter with members of the Buffalo Police Department (BPD) in Buffalo, Erie County.
At 10:55 p.m. on March 5, BPD officers reported to a residence on Minnesota Street in Buffalo in response to a 911 call. At 10:58 p.m., the officers forced entry into a bedroom of the residence and encountered Mr. Butler, who was allegedly holding a knife in each hand. Mr. Butler allegedly ran toward an officer, holding the knives, and ignored commands to drop them. At least one officer deployed a Taser. Mr. Butler allegedly still held the knives when one officer discharged their service weapon, striking him. Mr. Butler was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Officers recovered two knives at the scene.
The Office of Special Investigation (OSI) of the Attorney General's Office released footage from body-worn cameras that captured the incident. The release of this footage follows Attorney General James' directive that camera footage obtained by her office during an OSI investigation be released to the public to increase transparency and strengthen public trust in these matters.
Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI's assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.
The release of this footage is not an expression of any opinion as to the guilt or innocence of any party in a criminal matter or any opinion as to how or whether any individual may be charged with a crime.
Warning: These videos contain content that viewers may find disturbing.
New York State Office of the Attorney General published this content on September 04, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 04, 2026 at 15:32 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]