New York State Troopers, Buffalo Police Officer Struck by Car During Protest

A driver hit and injured two New York State Troopers and a Buffalo Police Officer during a protest Monday night in Buffalo.

The New York State police released a statement on their Twitter Tuesday, detailing the ongoing criminal investigation. The driver, in a 2002 Ford Explorer, was traveling northbound in the southbound lane on Bailey Avenue around 10 p.m. and drove through the law enforcement blockade, hitting one trooper and the Buffalo Police Officer. The car ran over another trooper who was on the ground.

According to the statement from the New York State Police, troopers fired shots at the vehicle and were able to apprehend three people, two of whom suffered gunshot wounds and were transported to Erie County Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

The trooper who was run over was also treated at ECMC for a shattered pelvis and broken leg, while the Buffalo officer and the other trooper suffered minor injuries, including a hand and wrist injury.

State Police identified the more seriously-injured trooper as Trooper Ronald Ensminger Jr., a 19-year veteran of the NYSP. The other is Trooper Randall Shenefiel, a 17-year veteran of the NYSP.

State Police wrote that more information will be released as the investigation continues.

There have been a number of other protests across New York in light of the death of George Floyd, a Minnesota man who died after being pinned to the ground by police. Sunday's march in Utica remained peaceful, and Utica Police supported the protest, walking with the crowd and holding signs of their own.

Protests in Syracuse turned violent on Saturday night, and police urged residents to stay away from the downtown area after "disorderly protests [had] interrupted a peaceful assembly." Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon set a curfew for the county, which has since been lifted.

Since Saturday, protests in Syracuse have remained peaceful. A group even broke out in dance to loosen up the tensions after marching for hours on Monday.