NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — Authorities say that 35-year-old Matthew Figura Jr., a suspect in Thursday's fatal shooting at Niagara Metals, has been charged with felony murder and criminal possession of a weapon. He plead not guilty.
This comes after a man was found dead from an apparent gunshot wound at the facility on Packard Road Thursday. The victim's name is not yet being released.
Police say Figura took off in a black Nissan Frontier and was considered armed and dangerous. Police initially believed he was headed toward the Southern Tier or Pennsylvania. Sheriff’s deputies in Wyoming County were able to take him into custody.
"Every homicide is a terrible story to talk about," Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino said. "But certainly at the work place ... no one ever knows what precipitates these things. It's frustrating because if there are issues, you just wish, [if] there are mental health questions, other social issues, you wish you could get to those things quicker before they escalate in this way unfortunately. I know our law enforcement will dig deep into this and find out all that they can."
Officials haven’t given any word on the connection between Figura and the victim, but say both were employees at Niagara Metals. The company president, Todd Levin, said grief counselors are being made available for employees. He added that it’s a tight-knit group, and they’ll be working together to process what happened.
Bail for Figura was set at $500,000 cash and $1 million partial bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, June 8.