Buffalo man charged with criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Buffalo man has been charged with possession of a weapon on school grounds after he knowingly brought a firearm onto the grounds of a Tonawanda elementary school, police said Friday.

Officials said around 1:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon that police responded to Alexander Hamilton Elementary School for a report of an armed person on school grounds.

A witness reportedly saw a man, later identified as Anibal Sepulveda Jr., 40, leaving the school with a “visibly holstered, legally permitted firearm” that he was carrying for work, police said.

According to police, Sepulveda was taking a child to school and had “no malicious intent.”

The Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District said in a news release that the YMCA, which operates the district’s Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) program, was reportedly told by a parent of a UPK student that another parent was on school grounds with a firearm in his possession. They also said Sepulveda did not enter the building.

Sepulveda is due in court on September 23.

The City of Tonawanda Police Department is asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the department at (716) 879-6614 or the confidential tip line at (716) 879-6606.