Brother of Buffalo's acting mayor dies in fall from tree stand while hunting

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The brother of the acting mayor of Buffalo, New York, died in a fall from a tree stand while hunting, authorities said.

Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon said in a statement Thursday that his family had “suffered a sudden and tragic loss” of his brother Mark Scanlon, who died “while doing one of the things he enjoyed most, hunting.”

The New York State Police said in a news release that troopers went looking for a hunter who had not returned to his vehicle parked in the town of East Otto, about 50 miles south of Buffalo, on Wednesday evening.

They found Mark Scanlon, 54, in a wooded area dead from an apparent fall from a portable tree stand, the police said, adding that there were no signs of foul play.

Mark Scanlon was a sergeant with the Erie County Sheriff's Office and “a cherished husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, and friend, who was loved by those who knew him,” Chris Scanlon said.

Erie County Sheriff John Garcia said in a statement that the department “mourns the loss of Sergeant Mark Scanlon, a veteran, valued member of our Jail Management Division." Garcia said grief counselors would be available to Scanlon's colleagues.

Chris Scanlon, a Democrat, became acting mayor of New York's second-largest city on Oct. 15 following the resignation of Mayor Byron Brown, who stepped down to lead an off-track betting agency.

Scanlon, 43, had been president of the Buffalo Common Council. He will serve out the remainder of Brown's term, which ends Dec. 31, 2025.