Defendants Sentenced for Fatal Shooting in Buffalo's Willert Park Neighborhood

Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announces that Ernest W. Brown, 42, of Buffalo, was sentenced this morning before Erie County Court Judge Suzanne Maxwell Barnes to 25 years to life in prison.

On Saturday, July 22, 2023, at approximately 3:00 a.m., Buffalo Police officers responded to a reported shooting on Genesee Street near Mortimer Street. Three people were shot outside of a tavern. Two victims, a 33-year-old male and 44-year-old male, were taken by ambulance to ECMC where they were treated for non-life threatening injuries. The third victim, 31-year-old Devin Lockwood, was pronounced dead at the scene.

In July 2025, a jury found Brown guilty of one count of Murder in the Second Degree (Class "A-I" felony) and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (Class "C" violent felony). Jurors rendered their decision after approximately two hours of deliberation following a five-day trial, convicting the defendant of all counts in the indictment.

Last week, the co-defendant, Twandrell L. Dean, 26, of Buffalo, was sentenced before Judge Maxwell Barnes. He received a determinate sentence of 20 years in prison followed by 5 years of post-release supervision. Dean pleaded guilty to his role in the homicide for intentionally firing shots from an illegal weapon, which resulted in the death of the victim. On November 12, 2024, he entered a guilty plea to one count of Manslaughter in the First Degree (Class "B" violent felony) and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (Class "C" violent felony). The defendant pleaded guilty to the charges in full satisfaction of the indictment.

DA Keane commends the Buffalo Police Department for their work in this investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney John P. Gerken, Jr. of the Homicide Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Samantha N. King of the Major Crimes Bureau.