A Lockport man already behind bars was charged with burglary for allegedly stealing a Bushmaster AR-15 assault rifle from an Eggertsville apartment last week, Amherst Police Detective Lt. Rick Walter said.
Dennis Stankovskiy, 26, of Tonawanda Creek Road, already being held at the Erie County Holding Center on an unrelated charge when he was arrested for the Eggertsville burglary, police said.
Detectives recovered the stolen weapon after executing a search warrant issued by Amherst Town Justice Geoffrey Kelin at a garage on Ontario Street in Buffalo.
The assault rifle was legally owned but stolen during a burglary of a Calladine Avenue apartment Jan. 3, according to police.
Walter said that investigators believe Stankovskiy “had knowledge that the gun was there” and that he intended to sell the weapon, which has been in high demand after federal and state leaders have called for bans on assault rifles. The stolen firearm is the same variety that was used in several recent mass shootings, including by Adam Lanza in the Sandy Hook Elementary School killings.
The case is being handled by Detectives David Kubiak and Todd Homberger.
Walter said the burglary remained under investigation and that more arrests are expected.
email: mbecker@buffnews.com
Dennis Stankovskiy, 26, of Tonawanda Creek Road, already being held at the Erie County Holding Center on an unrelated charge when he was arrested for the Eggertsville burglary, police said.
Detectives recovered the stolen weapon after executing a search warrant issued by Amherst Town Justice Geoffrey Kelin at a garage on Ontario Street in Buffalo.
The assault rifle was legally owned but stolen during a burglary of a Calladine Avenue apartment Jan. 3, according to police.
Walter said that investigators believe Stankovskiy “had knowledge that the gun was there” and that he intended to sell the weapon, which has been in high demand after federal and state leaders have called for bans on assault rifles. The stolen firearm is the same variety that was used in several recent mass shootings, including by Adam Lanza in the Sandy Hook Elementary School killings.
The case is being handled by Detectives David Kubiak and Todd Homberger.
Walter said the burglary remained under investigation and that more arrests are expected.
email: mbecker@buffnews.com