Fight in casino bar area ends with sergeant attacked and killed, New York cops say

A sheriff’s sergeant was escorting two people out of a casino in New York when he was attacked and died in a fight, authorities said.

Now, two people are charged in the death of Thomas Sanfratello, a 32-year veteran of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

On March 10, Sgt. Sanfratello was working a special assignment at the Batavia Downs casino in upstate New York, the Batavia Police Department said in a news release.

At about 12:45 a.m., the sergeant and casino security were called to an altercation inside the casino’s bar area, and they began escorting a man and a woman out after a verbal altercation, police said.

The 39-year–old woman became “physically combative” with the sergeant, and he placed her under arrest, police said. But while he did so, the other patron interfered and attacked the sergeant, according to police.

A fight broke out as security and others in the casino got involved, leading to Sanfratello using a Taser on the 33-year-old man, police said.

During the fight, Sanfratello collapsed and became unresponsive. CPR was unsuccessful, and the 54-year-old died, Genesee County officials said.

Michael Elmore is charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter, aggravated assault upon a police officer and burglary.

The woman, identified as Lyndsey Jean Wilcox, faces charges of attempted assault and burglary.

Police said Elmore was told to leave the casino with Wilcox and later returned with the intention of committing a crime.

“Words cannot describe the loss our Office feels with the passing of Sergeant Sanfratello,” the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a tribute. “May he rest in peace.”

Sanfratello joined the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office in 1992 as a dispatcher. He became a deputy sheriff in 1996 and a sergeant in 2007, the office said.

“I trained him when he came into dispatch in 92,” a man wrote on Facebook. “Always a smile and a laugh. A tragic loss to our sheriff family.”

The sheriff’s office conveyed a message from Sanfratello’s family thanking the community for the outpouring of support they’ve received.

“This is truly heartbreaking,” another Facebook user wrote. “He was a positive face in our community, and he will be dearly missed.”

Sanfratello’s cause of death has not been released.

Batavia is in upstate New York, about a 45-mile drive east of Buffalo.

This story was originally published March 11, 2024 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Fight in casino bar area ends with sergeant attacked and killed, New York cops say."