BUFFALO (WBEN) - On Monday morning, City of Buffalo officials were joined by the FBI to announce a raise in reward money offered to individuals who share information regarding the early-April shooting of 12-year-old Bandar Elwaseem.
"We are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible for the shooting death of Bandar Elwaseem," said FBI Special Agent Gary Loeffert. "We cannot let crimes like this one fade away or simply become history. We cannot grieve, memorialize Bandar and then move on, only to be incensed by the next act of gun violence. There must be justice for Bandar and his family."
Mayor Byron Brown says there has been much support for the investigation by the public, but there's still more information that needs to be shared.
"The shooting of a child, the killing of a child is a horrible crime," said Brown. "Many in the community have called to express their shock and grief about this incident."
In addition to the $25,000 now being offered by the FBI, Crime Stoppers is still offering $7,500 for information leading to an arrest - for a possible total of $32,500 in reward money.
If you do possess information on the shooting, call the Buffalo Police tipline number at 847-2255.