According to the Batavia Police Department, two arrests have been made in connection with the killing of a sergeant who was attacked and killed while breaking up a disagreement early Sunday morning at New York’s Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel.
Genesee County Sheriff’s Sgt. Thomas Sanfratello was on a special assignment detail at Batavia Downs when police went to investigate allegations of a disturbance at the bar.
Sanfratello led Michael J. Elmore and Lyndsey Jean Wilcox out of the casino after the commotion, when Wilcox became combative and struck the 54-year-old sergeant, Batavia Police Chief Shawn Heubusch said at a media briefing on Wednesday.
According to Heubusch, while putting Wilcox into arrest, Elmore returned to the scene, causing a confrontation.
Elmore retrieved a large piece of jewelry from around his neck, a “metal, thick rope” that he used in the attack, according to authorities.
Elmore allegedly choked Sanfratello and assaulted him with his fists, according to Heubusch.
Sgt. Sanfratello went unresponsive during the altercation. Although “several members of Batavia Downs security staff and bystanders” began performing CPR, he was declared dead at the spot, according to police.
Police say no other cops or staff members were injured during the altercation.
Elmore, 33, was charged with three felonies, including aggravated manslaughter in the first degree, aggravated felony assault on a police officer, and criminal burglary in the second degree.
Wilcox, 39, was charged with two felonies: felony burglary in the second degree and attempted criminal assault in the second degree, according to authorities.
According to the statement, Sgt. Sanfratello has been with the sheriff’s office for 32 years, beginning as a dispatcher in 1992 and progressing to deputy sheriff in 1996 and sergeant in 2007.
According to his obituary, Sgt. Sanfratello was twice named Deputy of the Year.
Police are asking anybody who observed the fight or has footage of it to contact the Batavia Police Department Detective Bureau.
