There were reports of a mass shooting at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Buffalo, New York, but it turns out they are false.
The operator who answered the phone at the Hyatt Regency told Heavy that the threat was “erroneous,” and there was no mass shooting. “It was a call to the hotel, and police responded. It was an empty threat,” the operator said to Heavy.
Daily Mail was first to report on November 23, 2023, that there may have been a mass shooting at the hotel. However, Daily Mail then also reported that, according to hotel staff, the report was “erroneous” with no injuries, which the British publication said “sparked panic.”
“There are reports of a mass shooting at the Hyatt Regency in Buffalo, New York,” Daily Mail reported initially. “Police scanners in the area reported an incident where as many as 20 people may have been injured.”
Police have not yet commented on the reports. Heavy has also reached out to the public affairs office of the Buffalo Police Department to seek comment.
The false report scare comes as upstate New York is on edge after a car explosion at the Canadian-US border near Niagara Falls, although New York Governor Kathy Hochul says it does not appear to be terrorism.
Dispatch audio obtained by Heavy also shows authorities responded to the Hyatt.
Here’s what you need to know:
The False Mass Shooting Reports Occurred the Day After a Car Explosion Rattled People in Niagara Falls, New York
The scare came after the explosion near Niagara Falls. However, authorities don’t believe it involves terrorism at this point, CNN reported.
According to CNN, investigators think the car explosion involved a man and his wife who were in a Bentley going “at a high rate of speed,” and both were killed in the explosion.
CNN reported that the car hit a curb, which precipitated the explosion.
The man in the Bentley lives in New York State and “had plans to attend a KISS concert in Canada but when it was canceled, went to a casino in the US instead,” CNN reported.
The Police SWAT Team Responded to the Hyatt Regency Mass Shooting Reports in Buffalo
Daily Mail reported that a SWAT team was called to the Hyatt Regency hotel on November 23, 2023, only to discover that the mass shooting reports are a “false alarm.”
Daily Mail had initially reported that were as many as 20 victims before walking back the report.
On its website, the hotel describes itself as,
Explore Downtown Buffalo from our Conference Center Hotel
Let Hyatt Regency Buffalo be your destination in upstate New York for work or leisure. Take advantage of our downtown Buffalo locale offering design-forward rooms, on-site dining, and wellness amenities. A stay at our hotel puts you in walking distance to the waterfront, KeyBank Center, and Shea’s Buffalo Theatre.
Buffalo has had actual mass shootings in the past. Ten people were killed and three people were wounded in a 2022 mass shooting at a Buffalo grocery store.
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