Ernest Green, Illegally Possessing a Firearm, New York 2020

Ernest Green, a/k/a Fire, 37, of Buffalo, NY, is back behind bars — and this time, it’s federal time. A grand jury has indicted the twice-convicted felon on charges of illegally possessing a firearm, stemming from a violent July 2020 drive-by shooting in the Towne Gardens Housing Complex, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

On July 26, 2020, Green allegedly sped through the housing complex in a vehicle and opened fire with a handgun. After discharging the weapon, he lost control and crashed into a tree. He fled the scene on foot, leaving behind the wreckage — and the smoking gun. Literally. Surveillance footage captured Green sprinting eastward; five blocks away, cops recovered the firearm used in the attack.

The indictment lays bare Green’s criminal past: a felony conviction in Erie County Court in November 2004, followed by another felony conviction in New York State Court in October 2010. Those convictions stripped him of his right to own or carry a firearm — a law he allegedly violated with deadly consequences.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Adler, prosecuting the case, presented evidence at Green’s arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy. The government is pushing hard for detention, arguing Green poses a danger to the community. As of now, he remains locked up pending Judge McCarthy’s ruling on the detention motion.

The investigation was a joint operation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), led by Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito; the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), under Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia; and the Buffalo Police Department, directed by Commissioner Byron Lockwood. Their combined efforts stitched together the timeline, video, and ballistic evidence that sealed the indictment.

The charge against Green carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. But make no mistake — this isn’t just about a gun. It’s about a pattern. A history. And a city tired of seeing the same names cycle through crime scenes and courtrooms. The case now moves forward, with trial dates pending and the weight of federal prosecution closing in.

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