Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - "Almost one month after the mass shooting in Buffalo, today's search warrant and the weapons recovered is chilling."
It was around 8:30 a.m. ET on Monday morning when Buffalo Police, with the help of the Erie County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), executed a search warrant of a house at 91 Claudette Court in Cheektowaga. That search warrant led to the arrest of 22-year-old Steven Salerna-Sanchez, as well as the recovery of illegal contraband from the home.
"At this location this morning in Cheektowaga, police recovered a number of guns - including an AR-15 - thousands of rounds of ammunition, kits to make ghost guns, and even high-level body armor, in addition to drugs," detailed Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown during a press conference.
Salerna-Sanchez was arrested and charged with two felony counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon (Class "C" and "E" felonies), as well as a misdemeanor drug charge after being found in possession of hydrocodone, tramadol and mushroom bars.
It is alleged that the suspect was buying guns and other illegal contraband and then selling them on the streets of Buffalo. This included the legal purchase of ghost gun kits and turning them out for profit.
"We see this time-and-time again. Guns are on our streets. This is what feeds the everyday gun violence that we see in our communities, and our communities across America, not just in Buffalo," said Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia on Monday. "You have an individual who is buying ghost gun kits, legally, you can buy these ghost gun kits. You spend about 30 minutes assembling these kits and making them into an operational firearm, and then selling them in our community, which feeds the gun violence, which feeds further gun crimes."
Gramaglia said this was a short-term operation and investigation into Salerna-Sanchez, which led them to be able to quickly execute the search warrant.
"This individual is a high-level gun dealer, who has been implicated in selling dozens and dozens and dozens of guns," Gramaglia said.
Salerna-Sanchez allegedly had quite the reputation on the streets, as he was known to many as "gunsmith". It's an arrest and executed warrant that many are glad took place on Monday, from the Buffalo Police Department and the Erie County Sheriff's Office to the Mayor of Buffalo.
"It is a chilling reminder that we, as a community and as a country, have a long way to go as it relates to gun safety and being safe from illegal weapons that are on our streets," Brown said. "But today's search warrant and seizure of weapons will go a long way to making the streets of Buffalo and Western New York safer."
More from Monday's press conference is available for you in the player below: