Police vehicles are pictured Wednesday morning in Sinclairville. Photo by Gregory Bacon

SINCLAIRVILLE — Police say an 18-year-old Cassadaga man was shot in the lower back during a “scuffle” Tuesday evening in Sinclairville. The man, whose name has not been released, was pronounced dead at UPMC Chautauqua.

The shooting incident is being treated as a homicide investigation.

Chautauqua County Sheriff James Quattrone said the man was among six people in the area of Reed and Park streets in Sinclairville around 7:30 p.m. when a scuffle occurred. It’s not clear what led to the altercation, but at some point the victim was struck in the back with a single gunshot.

According to the sheriff, the victim then got into a truck and drove for about a quarter-mile before exiting the road and striking some trees. The vehicle did not sustain much damage.

Quattrone said it was not apparent at first that the victim had been shot, leading to some initial confusion as to what caused the man’s injuries.

“At this time we do believe that the gunshot wound may have caused his death but we’ll wait for the autopsy results,” Quattrone said.

The victim was with another person at the time of the shooting. The scuffle included four other individuals, described by Quattrone as “persons of interest.” The individuals have been interviewed, but no charges have been announced.

The sheriff stressed the shooting was not a random act.