Javier Baez

A Buffalo man who fired a half-dozen shots at a vehicle this week is facing a host of charges, the Jamestown Police Department announced.

No injuries were reported in the morning shooting incident.

Officers were alerted at about 10:15 a.m. Thursday for shots fired in the area of Beechview and Clyde avenues. An investigation determined that 47-year-old Javier Baez allegedly “became enraged” at three people inside another vehicle, though a reason for the dispute was not known.

In a news release, Jamestown police said Baez reportedly chased the group beginning in the area of Falconer Street. Once at Beechview and Clyde, the Buffalo man allegedly “displayed a pistol and fired at least six rounds at the victim’s vehicle, striking it several times,” the department said.

Afterward, Baez fled the area.

The shooting occurred near Washington Middle School, though students have been on mid-winter recess this week.

“We are very lucky that nobody was hurt or injured during this incident,” Detective Lt. Greg Wozneak said. ‘The Jamestown Public Schools are on break this week, so no children were at risk.”

Patrol officers and detectives later traced Baez’s vehicle to a residence on Bush Street in Jamestown. He was eventually taken into custody without incident.

A search of the residence later turned up a loaded pistol with a large capacity feeding device.

“We would also like to thank the public for their assistance and willingness to provide video surveillance from the area, which assisted us in solving this in a timely manner,” Wozneak said.

Baez is facing charges of second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm and three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment. He was awaiting arraignment in Jamestown City Court.

Despite Thursday’s incident, the city has seen a drop in gun-related crimes over the last year.

In 2023, there were 15 confirmed shootings that resulted in injuries to four people. A year earlier, there were 24 shootings that injured eight people.