A veteran sheriff’s sergeant was killed in an attack at a western New York casino, and a customer has been charged with manslaughter, police said Monday.
Genesee County Sheriff’s Sergeant Thomas Sanfratello, 54, died early Sunday after attempting to escort a man and woman out of a bar district in Batavia Downs, about 55 miles east of Buffalo.
Batavia police said Sanfratello became unresponsive during an argument with the man and attempts to revive him with CPR were unsuccessful.
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Police said Sanfratello’s cause of death has not yet been determined.
Michael Elmore and Lindsey Jean Wilcox were taken from the casino after Sanfratello and security alerted them to an altercation there. Wilcox became combative with Sanfratello, and Sanfratello arrested her with the help of her security guard. Elmore began to interfere with her arrest and attacked Sanfratello. His deputy became unresponsive during the altercation, police said.
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Elmore, 33, was charged with first-degree manslaughter, aggravated assault on a police officer and second-degree robbery. Wilcox, 39, was charged with second-degree robbery and attempted assault.
Both men, from Batavia, were arraigned and remanded to prison.
A phone message was left with Elmore’s attorney. He could not reach Wilcox’s attorney.
Mr. Sanfratello is a 32-year military veteran who worked as a special assignment detail at Batavia Downs. He had been a sergeant since 2007, according to the sheriff’s office.
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“Words cannot express the sense of loss our department feels with the passing of Sergeant Sanfratello,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post. “May he rest in peace.”
