By Mark Scott and Kenneth Macdonald
Buffalo, NY – A 45-year-old man from Getzville apparently shot himself to death on the gaming floor at the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls Thursday morning.
State Police are not releasing the man's identity. Troopers say he shot himself in the chest.
The "Buffalo News" identifies the man as Michael Pellegrino, a funeral director who owns the Perna-Pellegrino funeral homes in Buffalo and Amherst. They quote various unnamed sources as saying his suicide was related to a failed relationship with a female employee at the casino.
Casino spokesman Phil Pantano says the incident occurred around 10:30. He says security and emergency crews responded immediately.
"We have paramedics on staff 24 hours a day. They were notified immediately, as were our security teams, Pantano said. "The gaming area was cleared, so that the paramedics could attend to the individual."
The man was taken to the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center where he was pronounced dead shortly before noon. It's not known why he shot himself.
Pantano said this was the first incident of its kind since the casino opened four years ago. He said firearms are prohibited at the casino. Pantano said the casino's security procedures will be reviewed in the wake of this incident.