The spokesman for Mayor Byron W. Brown, the Buffalo Police Department and other city agencies apologized Friday for a statement he emailed to media saying that a protester who was pushed to the ground as police were clearing the front of City Hall after curfew "tripped and fell" during a "skirmish involving protesters."
WBFO posted the video a short time later, in which officers could be seen pushing Gugino as they advanced.
Police confirmed about two hours later that they had suspended the officers and had begun an investigation.
Michael J. DeGeorge, whose title is director of communications for the City of Buffalo, said in a statement: "Let me offer a wholehearted apology for the initial misinformation that was sent out last night regarding the incident in Niagara Square. I was obviously working with incomplete details during what was a very fast-moving and fluid situation. I would never purposely mislead the media or our residents."
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The mayor acknowledged the misinformation Friday. "I will be the first to say that the initial communication was a breakdown. It was an error. But it was a desire to respond to media inquiries," Brown said at a news conference.
The mayor addressed questions about why DeGeorge speaks for both the mayor's office and the Buffalo Police Department. Brown said that has been done as a cost-saving measure "but it's clear that something was amiss last night."
